Research findings coming out of the Crick Institute, Kings College and St Thomas’ Hospital (where Boris Johnson was treated) in London could lead to a test to identify those likely to be most seriously affected by COVID-19 sickness, a possible treatment and to why Trump’s favorite hydrochloroquin treatment has proved to be deadly.
Let me first give a “health warning” that these results have not been peer-reviewed however the three institutions which did the research are highly reputable. These are the core findings from their research.
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute, King’s College London and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, are looking at patients’ blood to see how the immune system responds to coronavirus and how the virus ‘throws a spanner’ into the immunological works.
Based on the detailed preliminary analysis of 60 COVID-19 patients at St Thomas’ Hospital, the team has identified an ‘immunological signature’ of the disease. Within this, a small set of factors, or clues, could be used to identify the patients most likely to do worse and require additional treatment.*
In their preliminary analysis, the team have identified two prominent clues - an overt dysregulation in a specific type of T cell that ordinarily eradicates virus-infected cells, and a dramatic loss of immune cells called basophils that can be involved in tissue repair.
Patients whose blood shows these features are more likely to require intensive care. In these patients the virus has reduced their ability to fight by reducing the T-cells count and to repair damage caused by the virus by reducing the basophils.
The paper points to two further developments. One is the refinement of the blood tests already in use to identify those patients who are in danger of a serious outcome. The second is possible treatment to reduce this effect of the virus by using Interleukin-7 which promotes T cell function. Trials using this have been designated an “Urgent Public Health COVID-19 Trial” by the UK’s Chief Medical Officer.
We can also see why hydrochloroquin may have resulted in increased deaths. The drug reduces the body’s immune response, which is why it is useful in auto-immune type diseases like lupus. The paper points out:
When patients can’t mount an effective T cell response, there aren’t enough immune cells to clear the body of virus-infected cells. And as this situation persists and worsens, the remaining immune cells can become misguided, themselves causing damage to the lungs and other vital organs.
Let me again emphasise that these results have not been peer-reviewed and research is on-going. The researchers did however feel that they should be released to the public and medical professionals and are making the raw data available.