Skip to main content

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

Trinity Menu Trinity Search

COVID-19 Immunology

Dr Katie O’Brien

Postdoctoral Researcher, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute

  • Research Institute:

    • Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute

  • Contact e-mail:
  • Contact number:
  • Thematic Area:

    • Translational Immunology Studies

View TCD profile

Research Profile:

Katie completed her PhD in Immunology in the Finlay Lab in TCD, where she became interested in understanding the importance of metabolism on immune-cell function. As a postdoc in the Lynch Lab, she is further exploring this exciting area of research, with the aim of gaining a greater understanding of how obesity may cause immune dysfunction.

COVID-19 Project description: The immune basis underlying the increased severity of COVID-19 among patients with obesity:

Obesity is a risk factor for many diseases, including COVID-19. People with obesity and associated co-morbidities can have increased risk of moderate to severe outcomes when infected with Sars-CoV2, however the mechanisms behind this have not been fully elucidated. Previous studies by the Lynch lab and others, have identified that immune cells isolated from people with obesity can be reduced in number and dysfunctional. This project aims to understand the differences in immune function between lean and obese subjects and to investigate which of these differences may be affecting the responses of each cohort to COVID-19.