Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Research Director Victor Appay, University of Bordeaux, France
- Second opponent: Professor Rebecca Jane Cox, University of Bergen, Norway
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Professor Marit Inngjerdingen, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor June H. Myklebust, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Researcher Hassen Kared, University of Oslo
Summary
This thesis demonstrates that immunocompromised populations exhibit impaired and diverse immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, but that Omicron breakthrough infection can robustly recall and broaden humoral and cellular immunity in several high-risk groups. Kidney transplant recipients and people living with HIV showed enhanced B- and T-cell responses after breakthrough infection, whereas patients with inflammatory bowel disease failed to develop durable cellular immunity and instead displayed persistent inflammatory T-cell activation. Overall, the findings highlight the necessity for tailored vaccination strategies, repeated boosters, and longitudinal assessment of immune quality and durability to protect vulnerable populations against evolving variants.
Additional information
Contact the research support staff.