Could the blood of COVID-19 patients be used to predict disease
progression?
Study discovers differences in the blood samples of severe and mild cases


Date:
June 5, 2020
Source:
Charite' - Universita"tsmedizin Berlin
Summary:
Researchers have identified 27 proteins which are present at
different levels in the blood of COVID-19 patients, depending on
the severity of their symptoms. These biomarker profiles could be
used to predict disease progression and make it easier for doctors
to decide which type of treatment to use.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Researchers from Charite'-Universita"tsmedizin Berlin and the Francis
Crick Institute have identified 27 proteins which are present at different levels in the blood of COVID-19 patients, depending on the severity of
their symptoms.

These biomarker profiles could be used to predict disease progression
and make it easier for doctors to decide which type of treatment to
use. The work has been published in Cell Systems.


========================================================================== People respond very differently to infection with the novel coronavirus
(SARS- CoV-2). While some patients develop no symptoms at all, others
will develop severe disease and may even die. For this reason, there is
an urgent need for 'biomarkers', quantifiable biological characteristics
which could provide a reliable means of predicting disease progression
and severity. A research team led by Prof. Dr. Markus Ralser (Director of Charite''s Institute of Biochemistry, holder of an Einstein Professorship
and Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute) used state-of-the-art analytical techniques to rapidly determine the levels of various proteins
in the blood plasma. This approach enabled the researchers to identify
various protein biomarkers in the blood plasma of patients with COVID-19
which were linked to the severity of their disease.

The researchers developed a precise, high-throughput mass spectrometry
platform capable of analyzing the patients' proteomes -- the compendium
of proteins found in biological material -- at a rate of 180 samples per
day. Using this technology, the team analyzed blood plasma samples from
31 men and women who were receiving treatment at Charite' for COVID-19
of varying degrees of severity. The researchers were able to identify
27 proteins in the blood which varied in quantity depending on disease severity. The researchers then validated these molecular signatures by analyzing samples from another group of 17 COVID-19 patients and 15
healthy people. Protein expression signatures were able to precisely
classify patients according to the World Health Organization's coding
criteria for COVID-19.

"These results lay the foundations for two very different
applications. One possible future use would be for disease prognosis,"
explains Prof. Ralser, who is also group leader at the Francis Crick
Institute in London. "An early blood test would enable the treating
physician to predict whether or not a patient with COVID-19 will develop
severe symptoms. This could potentially save lives: the sooner physicians
know which patients will require intensive care, the faster they can
make use of the available treatment options." In order to get closer to
this goal, the researchers will now study how the biomarker signatures
change over the course of the disease.

"Another possible future use would be as an in-hospital diagnostic test,
which could provide clarity regarding a patient's condition -- regardless
of how they themselves describe it," explains the biochemist. He adds:
"In some cases, a patient's symptoms do not appear to provide an accurate picture of their true health status. An objective evaluation, based on
their biomarker profile, could be extremely valuable in this regard." The research team now plan to test their new method in a larger number of
patients in the hope of getting closer to developing a diagnostic test.

Changes in the protein profile Some of the 27 proteins which were found
to predict the severity of COVID-19 had not previously been linked to an
immune response. However, the biomarkers identified by the researchers
also included clotting factors and regulators of inflammation. Some of
these proteins act on interleukin 6 (IL-6) at the molecular level. IL-6
is a protein which is known to cause inflammation, and which, according
to preliminary studies, is associated with severe COVID-19 symptoms. A
number of the biomarkers identified as part of this study might therefore
be suitable targets for treatment.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
Charite'_-_Universita"tsmedizin_Berlin. Note: Content may be edited for
style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Christoph B. Messner, Vadim Demichev, Daniel Wendisch, Laura
Michalick,
Matthew White, Anja Freiwald, Kathrin Textoris-Taube, Spyros I.

Vernardis, Anna-Sophia Egger, Marco Kreidl, Daniela Ludwig,
Christiane Kilian, Federica Agostini, Aleksej Zelezniak, Charlotte
Thibeault, Moritz Pfeiffer, Stefan Hippenstiel, Andreas Hocke,
Christof von Kalle, Archie Campbell, Caroline Hayward, David
J. Porteous, Riccardo E. Marioni, Claudia Langenberg, Kathryn
S. Lilley, Wolfgang M. Kuebler, Michael Mu"lleder, Christian
Drosten, Martin Witzenrath, Florian Kurth, Leif Erik Sander,
Markus Ralser. Ultra-high-throughput clinical proteomics reveals
classifiers of COVID-19 infection. Cell Systems, 2020; DOI:
10.1016/ j.cels.2020.05.012 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200605121516.htm

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