Objective 2: Prognosis

A portion of patients infected by a virus will develop a severe or even critical form of the disease, which may lead them to require intensive care or even result in death. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has helped identify that certain immune alterations, caused by genetic defects or autoimmune origins, are associated with a high risk of developing a severe form of infection caused by this emerging virus. In recent years, it has become well-established that immune alterations specifically affecting the Type I Interferon (IFN-I) response are linked to a significant risk of developing severe viral infections. New tests are needed to identify these alterations in the IFN-I response in order to identify individuals at risk of developing severe viral infections, moving toward personalized preventive medicine. Our work will focus on optimizing in vitro tests capable of mimicking the immune response triggered by a viral infection and measuring the intensity of the IFN-I response. Thus, functional immune tests will be developed to identify individuals with alterations in the IFN-I response.