COVID-19 severity linked to metabolic abnormalities in plasma cells: ISB, Stanford study

Patients with COVID-19 have a variety of immunological responses, which can lead to asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection or death. Researchers discovered underlying metabolic alterations that influence how immune cells respond to the disease after analysing blood samples from nearly 200 COVID-19 patients. These alterations may be linked to illness severity and could be used to predict patient survival, according to the research published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

Scientists who collaborated on the study

Scientists from the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB), Stanford University's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Swedish Medical Center, St. John's Cancer Institute at Saint John's Health Center, the University of Washington, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute collaborated on the study.

Jihoon Lee, a graduate student at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and co-first author said,

"We analyzed thousands of biological markers linked to metabolic pathways that underlie the immune system and found some clues as to what immune-metabolic changes may be pivotal in severe disease. Our hope is that these observations of immune function will help others piece together the body's response to COVID-19. The deeper understanding gained here may eventually lead to better therapies that can more precisely target the most problematic immune or metabolic changes."

The researchers took 374 blood samples from patients in the first week after they were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection and studied their plasma and single immune cells. The study looked at 1,387 metabolic pathway genes as well as 1,050 plasma metabolites.

The researchers discovered that greater COVID-19 severity is linked to metabolite changes in plasma samples, implying enhanced immune-related activity. Researchers also discovered that each major immune cell type has its own metabolic signature using single-cell sequencing.

According to Dr Yapeng Su, a research scientist, "Without improved single-cell multi-omic analysis, such profound and clinically relevant insights on sophisticated metabolic reprogramming within our varied immune systems would otherwise be impossible to gain." 

ISB president and professor Dr Jim Heath stated that this study adds to their understanding of how to build more effective COVID-19 therapies. It also represents a significant technological challenge.

Who has contributed to this project?

Merck and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), as well as the Wilke Family Foundation, the MJ Murdock Charitable Trust, the Swedish Medical Center Foundation, the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Gilead, the National Institutes of Health, and Amazon Web Services, have all contributed to this project.

(Inputs from ANI)

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