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Covid, the Brescia contribution in the discovery of autoantibodies

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There is a new chapter in the scientific literature on coronavirus infection and to write it Brescia also contributed. In this case we speak of antibodies in relation to the most serious cases of the disease.

The results of a research published in recent days on Science Immunology show the role of “Autoantibodies” in the course of the infection. It is one of the fundamental mechanisms underlying the most serious cases of the disease and this is a discovery that will have potential relapses both in diagnostic and therapeutic terms.

In March 2020, during the first months of the pandemic, a group of Italian and American scientists was born whose only goal was to study the causes of the extreme variability of Sars-CoV-2 disease.

This group is headed by 3 large research institutes, renowned worldwide, such as the National Institute of Health (NIH) of Washington, the Rockefeller University of New York and the University of Paris and in which Italy has taken part together to 38 other nations. Among the Italian groups, theAsst Civil Hospitals of Brescia and the University of Brescia they were among the protagonists together with other institutes including the University of Milan-Bicocca, Irccs San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Asst San Gerardo Hospital in Monza and the Irccs Polyclinic San Matteo Foundation in Pavia.

The latest results of this international group have been summarized in two scientific papers published Thursday 19 in the journal Science Immunology. The research allowed analyze samples of over 40 thousand subjects coming from all 7 continents, leading to the identification of a particular group of antibodies, called “autoantibodies”, which determine a more severe course than Covid-19.

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These autoantibodies neutralize type I interferons, which are among the most important molecules of the immune response, including that induced by Sars-CoV-2 infection. In the general population, the prevalence of type I anti-interferon autoantibodies in the blood doubles after age 65 and about 20% of all fatal cases of Covid-19 are associated with the presence of these neutralizing autoantibodies.

This discovery could have immediate repercussions in the diagnostic and therapeutic field. The early recognition of these autoantibodies especially in the elderly population and in subjects who already have mutations that alter the normal functioning of the immune system could allow in the near future theidentification of patients most at risk and open the doors to new therapeutic approaches based on the use of monoclonal antibodies.

In case of infection, it is people with type I interferon autoantibodies who should be hospitalized promptly to ensure early management of the clinic associated with Covid-19 and it is always subjects with autoantibodies who should have the highest priority in vaccination. Another important repercussion would be in the donation of blood and plasma from healed subjects from Covid-19, because all blood components in which the presence of autoantibodies is detected should be excluded from donation.

The contribution of Brescia the study consisted in the identification and characterization of Covid-19 patients and in the collection of the residual biological material of the samples of Covid-19 patients. The research, carried out as part of a project funded by the Lombardy Region, was contributed by personnel from the Asst Spedali Civili of Brescia (Luisa Imberti, Alessandra Sottini and Virginia Quaresima from the Crea Laboratory, Alessandra Tucci from Hematology, Ruggero Capra from the Multiple Sclerosis Center , Gabriele Tomasoni of the 2nd Reanimation and Camillo Rossi of the Health Department) and of the University of Brescia (Francesco Castelli and Eugenia Quiros-Roldan of the Clinic of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and Francesco Scolari of Nephrology).

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The group is the same that, also through the collaboration of prof. Notarangelo, former full professor of Pediatrics at the University of Brescia who now works at the NIH, last year has published two papers in the journal Science which have been identified by Nature as one of the 10 most important scientific publications of 2020 and which is continuing to provide material and information for other research currently underway.