* The technology giant Microsoft is working with a Seattle-based biotech to better understand the wide range of immune responses to the novel coronaviruses.
* The duo are recruiting 1,000 US-based volunteers to enroll in a virtual trial. Eligible people have to live near certain metro areas and have to have been exposed to the virus, infected with it, or recently recovered from it.
* Applying for the study can be done completely online by answering some basic questions. Selected participants will have their blood drawn at their home.
* The data could help better understand some of the mysteries around the coronavirus, particularly why some people have barely any symptoms while others end up critically ill.
* Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
A new study is aiming to help figure out why the coronavirus affects people in such drastically different ways.
Some infected people have no symptoms, while others wind up critically ill and requiring weeks of oxygen support in a hospital. The tech giant Microsoft has launched a study with the Seattle-based biotech Adaptive Biotechnologies to better understand the wide range of immune responses to the virus.
The two companies are recruiting 1,000 volunteers for a virtual study. Eligible participants have to be located in one of about two dozen metro areas across the US, and to have been exposed to, infected with, or recovered from the novel coronavirus.
Read more: Microsoft is teaming up with a $5 billion Seattle biotech to unravel the mystery of how the immune system responds to the coronavirus, and it could lead to new treatments and tests
The researchers are specifically focusing on T-cell responses, which are a critical element of the body's immune response. T cells help fight the virus, and long-lasting cells may help build immunity to future infections.
Following the explosion of antibody tests and research, Microsoft and Adaptive are hoping this research can build a "third pillar" of COVID-19 testing focused on T cells, said Lance Baldo, Adaptive's chief medical officer.
Enrollment is open now and is done online
The study is open to people living within 60 miles of 23 different metro areas across the US, including Los Angeles, Boston, New York, and Houston.
The study has already enrolled more than 100 people across the three eligible groups of exposed, infected, and recovered people.
To qualify for the exposed group, you need to either live with someone that has a confirmed case of COVID-19 or be a healthcare worker treating sickened patients without protective gear.
Infected COVID-19 patients are required to have a confirmed diagnosis, either through a positive test result or a diagnosis from a healthcare provider.
Never miss out on healthcare news. Subscribe to Dispensed, Business Insider's weekly newsletter on pharma, biotech, and healthcare.
People meeting those criteria can enroll online by filling out a questionnaire. If selected, researchers will arrange for a phlebotomist to come to you to draw blood samples. The technician will be wearing protective equipment and will also conduct or throat or nasal swab.
The study is offering $50 gift cards to those who complete the initial study. Researchers are also giving participants the option to participate in up to four additional blood draws over a two-month period. Participants completing all five blood draws could earn $250 in gift cards.
While the money may be a nice incentive, the research could help decode some of the mysteries about the coronavirus. Microsoft and Adaptive have pledged to make the data and findings freely available.
Initial results could come as soon as June, Adaptive's Baldo said. For more information, go to immunerace.com.
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: How the Navy's largest hospital ship can help with the coronavirus
https://bit.ly/2LoA0we