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T cells protect against COVID-19 better than antibodies, study says

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To combat the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers must identify the critical variables influencing immunological heterogeneity from non-survivors to survivors.

In previous clinical studies, using correlation analysis, it was discovered that a number of host factors were associated with severe disease or higher mortality: individual characteristics such as older age, male sex, and comorbidities; profound lymphopenia, with T cells being the most significantly affected; elevated levels of inflammation markers such as LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) and D-dimer; and excessive release of pro-inflammatory signalling molecules such as IFN, IL-6, and other molecules known as the cytokine storm which is thought likely to be a major cause of multiorgan failure.

Immune responses in COVID-19 patients include both SARS-CoV-2 specific T cells and antibodies, which are both reported in SARS-CoV-2 patients.

However, the quantitative involvement of these variables in antiviral and anti-inflammatory immune responses is unknown, leading to various unanswered questions about the cause of death and the protective mechanism against virus and inflammation, including the following questions: 1. Are T cells and antibodies beneficial or harmful, particularly in the case of very ill patients? When it comes to antiviral immunity, what are the relative contributions of T cell and antibody responses at different stages of the infection? 2. What are the primary drivers and suppressors of cytokine storm and multiorgan failure, and how do they interact? Most significantly, are there new avenues to address the heterogeneity of patients, the degradation of antibody function, and the gene mutation SARS-CoV-2 in the development of efficient therapies and vaccines?

To address these questions, a team of researchers from Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences developed a mathematical model based on accurate descriptions of clinical data from hundreds of COVID-19 patients to determine the role of these cells in preventing severe disease and death caused by coronavirus infection.

Using quantitative modeling, researchers discovered that the deterioration of T-cell antiviral and anti-inflammatory immunity can be life-threatening in the event of COVID-19 infection.

They documented that T cells, rather than antibodies, are more significant in the clearing of the SARS-CoV-2 virus than previously thought. They eliminate up to 96.5 percent of virus particles in patients with a moderate form of the disease.

Furthermore, the quantity of T cells that were dramatically decreased in fatal patients correlates directly with anti-inflammatory responses, cytokine inhibition, and tissue repair rate. According to modeling, a shortage of T cells results in inflammation and the development of a cytokine storm, which is one of the primary causes of death from COVID-19 infection.

The researchers anticipate that their discovery will pave the way for a new approach to combating COVID-19 that focuses on raising the number of T cells and developing a new generation of vaccines that target cellular immunity.

Source: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.211606

Image Credit: Getty

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