Blood May Contain a New Biomarker for AcuteCOVID-19

Scientists have shown that patients with acute COVID-19 infection have increased levels of the cytokine IL-26 in their blood. Moreover, high IL-26 levels correlate with an exaggerated inflammatory response that signifies severe cases of the disease. The findings, which are presented in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Immunology, suggest that IL-26 is a potential biomarker for severe COVID-19.

Vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 have proved effective at reducing the number of cases of severe COVID-19. However, the emergence of new viral variants, limited distribution of the vaccine, and declining immunity are problems that drive scientists to find more efficacious treatments for the disease.

To develop improved treatments, we must comprehend underlying immunological systems better. Additionally, there is a requirement for better diagnostics in

COVID 19-patients, according to Eduardo Cardenas, a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, and lead author of the brand-new pilot study.

The researchers have attempted to determine whether immunological signalling via the cytokine interleukin-26 (IL-26) is implicated in severe COVID-19 for the first time.

Anders Lindén, consultant and professor at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, is the study's final author. "We already know that IL-26 is engaged in mobilising immune cells that combat bacterial infections in the lungs and also in chronic respiratory disease in humans," he says. Additionally, IL-26 possesses antiviral and antibacterial properties.

The researchers gathered 49 individuals who had been hospitalised with SARS-CoV-2 infection, 44 of whom had severe symptoms and required oxygen therapy, to investigate how the molecule is implicated in COVID-19. From June 2020 to January 2021, the patients were enrolled at a hospital in Stockholm. During the same time span, a control group of 27 healthy people was also recruited. The researchers next assessed the concentrations of IL-26 protein and other inflammatory substances in.