Impaired immune responses in blood cancers improved by third COVID-19 vaccine dose

Despite the gradual lifting of COVID-19 restrictions worldwide, a cloud continues to hang over immunosuppressed people, who may not develop protective immune responses after vaccination. In particular, people with hematological malignancies are at greater risk of severe COVID-19 disease despite vaccination1. Multiple studies have identified risk factors associated with poor vaccine responses, but most are compromised by intrinsic limitations in study design. Assessment of paired humoral and cellular responses in a large and clinically homogeneous cohort is critical to allow accurate characterization of vaccine immune response in these people. The other major concern in this population is whether the antibodies induced by vaccination will be effective against the SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern