So far, scientists have figured out that being male, elderly, and having underlying medical conditions can all raise risk factors for patients. But even patients who check all these boxes don’t always experience serious symptoms. Scientists suspect that several factors influence severity, including pre-existing levels of inflammation, natural immunity levels, and the amount and strain of virus that starts the infection – along with variations in patients’ genetic makeup.
As has been previously reported, many patients suffer the worst of the symptoms for COVID-19 due to an immune system overreaction called a “cytokine storm”. As Dr. Fauci once explained, while “too little immunity is no good”…“too much immunity is really, really bad”.
Now, researchers have discovered the role of a critical protein which could open the door to a new potential COVID-19 treatment.
Studies comparing reactions to COVID-19 in siblings have unearthed an interesting detail: the availability of a substance called interferon. Interferons are signaling proteins that help orchestrate the body’s defense against viral pathogens; they’re used to treat diseases like Hepatitis C.
A growing body of evidence, including twin landmark studies published Thursday in the journal “Science” showed that “insufficient” interferon levels may be a dangerous precursor to a serious infection. As one researcher explained, the data suggest the virus uses this “one big trick” to slip past the body’s initial defense systems.
“It looks like this virus has one big trick,” said Shane Crotty, a professor in the Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in California. “That big trick is to avoid the initial innate immune response for a significant period of time and, in particular, avoid an early type-1 interferon response.”
The research highlights the potential for interferon-based therapies to expand a range of non-vaccine-related treatments, like Gilead’s remdesivir and convalescent plasma. – READ MORE
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