PITCH Logo
DHSC


PITCH REGIMEN study now available in CELL - "Immunogenicity of standard and extended dosing intervals of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine"

Our latest publication looks at whether the immune response to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is different depending on the number of weeks between the two doses.

Click here to download a copy

See further details and comments on News and Publications



Welcome to the website for the "Protective Immunity from T cells to Covid-19 in Health workers" (PITCH) study. We are a national collaboration of universities aiming to understand the way the immune system responds to the COVID-19 virus in healthcare workers. As this new virus is spreading across the UK and the world, we hope to answer important questions about how our bodies respond to the infection and the immune responses they develop.

In particular, we try to understand the contribution of the T cells and their involvement in immunity to the virus. With the development of the vaccines to COVID-19, we hope to discover how vaccination alters the T cell response.

Our key questions are:

  • Are the T cell responses acquired following SARS-CoV-2 infection protective against future infections?
  • Do cross-reactive T cell responses from seasonal coronavirus exposure contribute to protection?
  • What is the duration of T cell immunity?
  • Is there a difference in the magnitude and quality of the final immune response 28 days post 2nd dose, by vaccine regimen and by prior history of SARS-CoV-2 infection?
  • What is the anti-spike immune response (antibody and T cell) in the interval between 1st dose and 12-week 2nd dose administration of Pfizer vaccine?
  • Is there neutralisation of new variant strains post Pfizer regimen?
  • What is the impact of baseline cross-reactive antibody and T cell responses on immune response to vaccination?

PITCH PI Quote