Identification of novel severity/prognostic markers in COVID-19

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K16128
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 53030:Respiratory medicine-related
• Research Institution: National Institute of Infectious Diseases
• Principal Investigator: Takano Tomohiro 国立感染症研究所, 治療薬・ワクチン開発研究センター, 研究員 (10885669)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: COVID-19 / MDSC / PMN-MDSC / scRNA-seq / Type II interferon

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that can predict the severity and prognosis of novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). In survivors of severe COVID-19, the frequency of polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSCs), a subset of MDSCs with immunosuppressive functions, transiently increases in the early stages of infection (0-21 days after symptom onset), while no increase was observed in non-survivors of severe COVID-19. In addition, single cell RNA sequence analysis revealed that type II interferon responses were significantly enhanced in the most of clusters in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) derived from the deceased patients compared with the survived subjects.

Free Research Field

感染症免疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究において、MDSCがCOVID-19重症化や予後に関連することを国内で初めて示すことができた。本研究の成果がCOVID-19の治療法や重点的な治療を要する患者をスクリーニングする技術の開発基盤となることが期待される。