in the guts of mice can compromise immunity in adulthood. This early disruption limits the ability of the immune system to later trigger and generate Immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies. It also interferes with the nature and function of cells in the gut that support the antibody response. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Gommerman helped with developing a blood test to identify who is immune to the novel virus on a mass scale. She helped supply samples from pre-pandemic subjects as well as patients infected early in the pandemic who have since recovered. She was also appointed a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Tissue-Specific Immunity at U of T. She continued to lead saliva testing efforts in this new role and worked with a research team which found that coronavirus antibodies could last at least three months after a person becomes infected with the virus. She also helped organize and lead the Coronavirus Variants Rapid Response Network for research on COVID-19 variants. Beyond COVID-19, Gommerman continued her research into MS and used funding from the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada to investigate on the interplay between the complement system and glial cells in the hippocampus. The purpose of this project was to determine the changes that occur in the brains of people with progressive MS and how it correlates with clinical disability. References External links Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Women immunologists Canadian immunologists 21st-century Canadian women scientists 20th-century Canadian women scientists University of Toronto faculty University of Toronto alumni Canada Research Chairs COVID-19 researchers 21st-century Canadian scientists 20th-century Canadian scientists Scientists from Manitoba Scientists from Ontario