The Calgary Firefighters Burn Treatment Society has been asked to help in the fight against COVID-19. The research team at University of Calgary Vet Medicine, that we support with a research chair, has asked to direct some of the funds earmarked for burn research to study COVID-19 patient immune responses. The team is uniquely talented in rapidly analyzing functional changes in thousands of cells at a time and will now use this expertise to understand how the immune response to COVID-19 differs in patients that develop severe respiratory problems versus patients that only experience mild symptoms. This will provide them with critical new insight into how they might be able to enhance the function of specific immune cells to more effectively fight off COVID-19 infection (or future novel coronavirus infections). Dr. Jeff Biernaskie, PhD and his team are collaborating with Dr. Bryan Yipp,M.D. (who is a critical care physician specializing in respiratory disease) and the CFBTS could not be more proud to support this request. It demonstrates their willingness and desire to help but also reaffirms that the strong partnerships the CFBTS has made, are the right ones to support our community in a time of need.