Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

A Nature Communications study led by Professor Ling-Pei Ho’s group in the MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit (TIDU) provides new insights into how immune cells interact in the lungs of patients with severe COVID-19.

lungs infected with covid 19 in red and green colors

In a damaged lung with a massive cell infiltrate, as seen with severe COVID-19 infection, it can be difficult to figure out which cells are involved in causing lung injury. Understanding this provides a first step to identifying the cells or pathways that can be targeted therapeutically. 

In this paper, the authors used a 35-antibody panel to provide a detailed immune landscape of lung biopsies from patients with fatal COVID-19 infection. Using a bespoke suite of mathematical tools, the authors uncovered a specific association between a highly inflammatory cluster of immature neutrophils, CD8 T-cells and regenerating lung stem cells in the most damaged areas of the lungs.

 

Read the full story on the Medical Research Council Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine.

Similar stories

What Elio can help teach us about eye patching, stigma and the developing brain

Disney Pixar’s latest film, Elio, follows a familiar-sounding character, a lovable and imaginative young hero who dreams of finding a place where he truly belongs. But amid the colour and chaos of the film’s outer space setting, one subtle detail stands out: Elio wears an eye patch.