Assessment of Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses to Sars Cov-2 Vaccination in Immunocompromised Renal Allograft Recipients
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Meeting: 2022 American Transplant Congress
Abstract number: 251
Keywords: Kidney transplantation, T cell activation, T cell reactivity, Vaccination
Topic: Clinical Science » Infection Disease » 24 - All Infections (Excluding Kidney & Viral Hepatitis)
Session Information
Session Name: COVID-19 Infections Part 2: All Organs
Session Type: Rapid Fire Oral Abstract
Date: Monday, June 6, 2022
Session Time: 3:30pm-5:00pm
Presentation Time: 4:50pm-5:00pm
Location: Hynes Ballroom B
*Purpose: SARS CoV-2 vaccination elicits both robust humoral and T-cell immune responses in healthy individuals. However, a comprehensive assessment of immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in renal allograft recipients is variable and dependent primarily on Spike IgG levels. Here, we analyzed the humoral and T-cell responses in vaccinated transplant recipients.
*Methods: 61Tx patients maintained either on Tacrolimus (TAC, 32) or Belatacept (BELA, 29) who were greater than one month post 2nd dose of the Pfizer BNT162b2, and 41 healthy individuals were enrolled. Fresh whole blood was incubated with SARS CoV-2 Spike peptides pool and the activated CD4+ (IL-2/TNF-α)+ and CD8+ (TNF-α/IFN-γ)+ T cells were enumerated by flow cytometry and defined as CoV-2-specific T cells. Plasma was analyzed for Spike Receptor Binding Domain (RBD)-specific IgG by ELISA. The Spike RBD-specific IgG levels and Spike-specific CD4+/CD8+ T-cell immune responses were analyzed in TAC- and Bela- Tx patients along with healthy controls.
*Results: Our data demonstrated poor Spike IgG and T cell immune responses in Tx patients1M post-2nd dose of vaccine (21% v. 93% in positive Spike IgG and 37% v. 88% in positive T cell responses, Tx v. controls, respectively). However, 34% of Spike IgG (-) patients demonstrated positive CD4+ and/or CD8+ T-cell immune responses. No significant difference in T cell immunity was found between TAC and BELA treated patients.
*Conclusions: Immunocompromised Tx patients demonstrated significant defects in humoral and T cell immune response after vaccination. Patients maintained on TAC v. BELA demonstrated similar depressions in immune responses post-vaccination. 34% of vaccinated Tx patients, demonstrated Spike-specific T cell immunity despite being Spike IgG negative. This is suggestive of a divergent immune response with dominant cellular immunity. These observations are important since activation of T-cell immunity early after exposure to SARS-CoV2, while not preventing infection will likely modify severity of disease.
| HC (41) | BELA patients (18) | TAC patients (20) | |
| T cell | 88% | 50% (p=0.0057*) | 50% (p=0.0031*) |
| Spike IgG | 93% | 33% (p<0.001*) | 10% (p<0.001*) |
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Shin B, Zhang R, Gadsden TM, Petrosyan A, Vo A, Ammerman N, Sethi S, Huang E, Peng A, Najjar R, Atienza J, Kim I, Jordan SC. Assessment of Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses to Sars Cov-2 Vaccination in Immunocompromised Renal Allograft Recipients [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2022; 22 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/assessment-of-humoral-and-cellular-immune-responses-to-sars-cov-2-vaccination-in-immunocompromised-renal-allograft-recipients/. Accessed May 18, 2025.« Back to 2022 American Transplant Congress