Indian-American scientists identify possible COVID-19 treatment

A team of Indianorigin immunologists in the US has discovered a potential strategy to prevent lifethreatening inflammation lung damage and organ failure in patients with COVID19The scientists led by ThirumalaDevi Kanneganti vice chair of Immunology at St Jude Childrens Research Hospital in Memphis Tennessee identified the drugs after discovering that the hyperinflammatory immune response associated with Covid19 leads to tissue damage and multiorgan failure in mice by triggering inflammatory cell death pathwaysThe researchers detailed in a paper published in the journal Cell how the inflammatory cell death signalling pathway worked which led to potential therapies to disrupt the processUnderstanding the pathways and mechanism driving this inflammation is critical to develop effective treatment strategies said Kanneganti who was born in Telangana and earned her undergraduate degree at Kakatiya University in WarangalThis research provides that understanding We also identified the specific cytokines that activate inflammatory cell death pathways and have considerable potential for treatment of Covid19 and other highly fatal diseases including sepsis she informedShe worked with Bhesh Raj Sharma Rajendra Karki and others at her lab for the research that helps increase understanding of the pathways and mechanism that drives Covid19 inflammation so researchers can develop effective treatment strategiesThe infection is marked by increased blood levels of multiple cytokines These small proteins are secreted primarily by immune cells to ensure a rapid response to restrict the virus Some cytokines also trigger inflammationKannegantis team focused on a select set of the most elevated cytokines in Covid19 patientsThe scientists showed that no single cytokine induced cell death in innate immune cellsThe St Jude investigators then tried 28 cytokine combinations and found just one duo that working together induced a form of inflammatory cell death previously described by Kanneganti as PANoptosisThe investigators showed that blocking individual cell death pathways was ineffective in stopping cell death caused by TNFalpha and IFNgammaBecause TNFalpha and IFNgamma are produced during Covid19 and cause inflammatory cell death the investigators questioned whether these cytokines were responsible for the clinical manifestations and deadly effects of the diseaseThey found that the TNFalpha and IFNgamma combination triggered tissue damage and inflammation that mirror the symptoms of Covid19 along with rapid deathNeutralising antibodies against TNFalpha and IFNgamma are currently used to treat inflammatory diseases in the clinicThe findings link inflammatory cell death induced by TNFalpha and IFNgamma to Covid19 said Kanneganti who received her MSc and PhD from Osmania University in IndiaThe results also suggest that therapies that target this cytokine combination are candidates for rapid clinical trials for treatment of not only Covid19 but several other often fatal disorders associated with cytokine stormCofirst author Karki added We were excited to connect these dots to understand how TNFalpha and IFNgamma trigger PANoptosisIndeed understanding how PANoptosis contributes to disease and mortality is critical for identifying therapies Sharma saidKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever