University Hospitals Team Receives Grant to Study Long-term Consequences and Outcomes of COVID-19 and other Viruses

CLEVELAND – Nearly three years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is still circulating across the globe, as scientists investigate how it works and how best to treat it. A team at University Hospitals (UH) aims to unearth potential immunologic mechanisms and understanding of COVID-19 upon long-term consequences and outcomes thanks to a grant from the American Lung Association (ALA).

“There is an urgent need to better understand the pathobiology and both long-term and immediate clinical implications of SARS-CoV-2 viral infection that leads to COVID-19’s death rates,” said Kenneth E. Remy, MD, MHSc, MSCI, FCCM, Division of Pulmonary/Critical Care and Pediatric Critical Care at University Hospitals, Principal Investigator for this study, and Ellery Sedgwick, Jr. Chair and Distinguished Scientist in Cardiovascular Research. “The pandemic showed us that we need to increase our knowledge about the potential emerging threat of other novel respiratory viruses. Thanks to this grant, UH will be at the forefront of this work.”

The 2-year, $200,000 grant from the ALA will provide researchers at UH with resources to:

• Gain a new understanding of the basic biology of respiratory viruses that could lead to better treatment and prevention
• Identify host factors that alter response to these infections
• Investigate individual, regional, or social factors increasing or decreasing community spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses
• Learn epidemiological approaches to understanding COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses while tracking cases

Dr. Remy and his team, Monty Mazer, MD, pediatric cardiac intensivist, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, and Rana Hejal, MD, Medical Director, MICU, UH Cleveland Medical Center, received this support from the ALA because of evidence of their ongoing excellence and productivity in the fields of immune phenotyping and surveillance. Dr. Remy’s previous work was among the first in world to demonstrate early in the pandemic the immunosuppressive effects of the SARs-CoV-2 virus.  

Research projects funded by the ALA are carefully selected through rigorous scientific review and awardees represent the investigation of a wide range of complex issues. For more information about the new grant awardees and ALA research, visit Lung.org/research-team.

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About University Hospitals / Cleveland, Ohio Founded in 1866, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of more than 20 hospitals (including 5 joint ventures), more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities, and over 200 physician offices in 16 counties throughout northern Ohio. The system’s flagship quaternary care, academic medical center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Oxford University and the Technion Israel Institute of Technology. The main campus also includes the UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation; UH MacDonald Women’s Hospital, Ohio’s only hospital for women; and UH Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. UH is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, with more than 3,000 active clinical trials and research studies underway. UH Cleveland Medical Center is perennially among the highest performers in national ranking surveys, including “America’s Best Hospitals” from U.S. News & World Report. UH is also home to 19 Clinical Care Delivery and Research Institutes. UH is one of the largest employers in Northeast Ohio with more than 30,000 employees. Follow UH on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. For more information, visit UHhospitals.org.