Alyssa Burrows (Translational Medicine) – Identifying the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with and without allergic diseases.

Everyone’s immune systems work a bit differently. Many Canadians have allergic diseases such as asthma, food allergy and allergic rhinitis. These people are subject to Th2 skewing which is when there is more Th2 cytokines in their body. It is unknown if underlying Th2 skewing impacts one’s response to the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. Understanding the antibody responses of this specific population s could allow us to make suggestions on vaccine schedules for this population. Further the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted those with chronic illness, including allergic disease, which we will also investigate.   For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs – website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat