Join us for our first seminar of fall 2024.

October 16, 4pm ET

Title: Investigating Systemic and Mucosal Immune Responses to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccination

Salma Sheikh-Mohamed

• Department of Immunology
• University of Toronto.

Salma is a 5th-year PhD candidate in the Department of Immunology at the University of Toronto. Her research involves all things mucosal, as she is interested in immune responses in the upper respiratory tract following intramuscular COVID-19 vaccination. She began her academic journey with an Honors Bachelor of Science from UTM, where she studied biology for health sciences and psychology. She then went on to do a Master’s of Immunology at UofT, where she learned how immune cells in the gut change when a person is infected with HIV and how those changes can help us develop better HIV treatments. In her free time, she works at Say Somaali, a Black youth-led grassroots organization which aims to empower Somali youth by creating safe spaces and providing them with mentorship and career exploration opportunities. In addition to working with youth, she also enjoys travelling, reading and building Legos.

Abstract:

The rapid development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines offered hope in combating the virus. These vaccines were pivotal in preventing severe disease and death but were less effective in halting transmission, leading to ongoing concerns about viral spread and reinfection. Since SARS-CoV-2 primarily infects the respiratory system, particularly the nasal and oral mucosa, the ability of intramuscularly administered vaccines to trigger mucosal immunity at these sites became a significant research question. Our research sought to determine whether COVID-19 vaccines could induce mucosal immune responses, particularly secreted IgA, in the nasal and oral cavities, how these responses compared to those following natural infection, the relationship between post-vaccine responses and breakthrough infections, and whether there were any covariates we could use to better understand the kinetics of this response.

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Our monthly online seminar series, features STEMM scholarship from across disciplines, aimed at a general STEMM audience.

All are welcome!

• 4pm ET
• Third Wednesday of every month
• October 2024 through May 2025.

Register once and we will remind you each month.

Watch this calendar for seminar speaker announcements each month!

The CBSN/RCSN gratefully acknowledges the University of Toronto Scarborough and its support as the Network Host Institution, and the Academic Program Committee of the Network for the BE-STEMM Seminar Series.