[ad_1]
MEMPHIS, Tennessee (KWWL) – Immunologists at St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee have determined the process behind severe inflammation, lung damage, and organ failure in patients with Covid-19, sepsis and other inflammatory disorders suggesting possible treatment using existing drugs.
“Understanding the pathways and mechanisms that drive this inflammation is essential to develop effective treatment strategies,” Dr Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti, vice president of the Department of Immunology at St. Jude. “This research provides this understanding. We have also identified specific cytokines that activate inflammatory cell death pathways and have considerable potential for the treatment of COVID-19 and other highly fatal diseases, including sepsis.”
The team focused on cytokines, small proteins released in the body in response to the virus and inflammation. They focused on the highest cytokines in COVID-19 patients and found that one in 28 duos stood out. They found that drugs to treat these cytokine reactions already exist.
They discovered that these cytokines were responsible for the deadly effects of COVID-19. Neutralizing antibodies against these cytokines are already used to treat inflammatory diseases. When tried on mice, the treatment protected them from death from COVID-19 and sepsis, a deadly blood infection.
“The findings link TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma-induced inflammatory cell death to COVID-19.” Said Kanneganti. “The results also suggest that therapies that target this combination of cytokines are candidates for rapid clinical trials for the treatment of not only COVID-19, but several other often fatal disorders associated with the cytokine storm.”
“We have solved a major piece of the cytokine (reaction) mystery storm by characterizing the essential factors responsible for initiating this process, and thereby identifying a unique therapeutic combination using existing drugs that can be applied in the clinic to save patients. lives, ”Kanneganti added.
The drugs will now be used in clinical trials in patients with COVID-19. If all goes well, FDA approval is the next step.
The research has been peer reviewed and has been published online in the journal Cell and can be found here.
[ad_2]
Source link