Fonds A.B.: Blood and genome analyzes in the context of the Covid19-pandemic

In some Covid19 patients, the SARS-CoV2 infection of the respiratory tract is followed by a cytokine storm, resulting in reduced oxygen exchange and multiple organ failure. The reason why this occurs in part of the patients is not known. To better understand the virus-host interactions we will quantitatively analyse viral replication and host response at different disease stages in an extensive set of samples obtained from Covid19 patients hospitalized at UZ Gent. The research questions we want to address are:

-          What are the replication kinetics of the virus?

-          How does this relate to the host response in the corresponding sites?

-          How does this correlate with the disease stage, morbidity and mortality?

-          What novel therapeutic targets can be identified?

To answer these questions we will combine quantitative assessment of viral replication and single-cell CITEseq proteogenomics, measuring both the viral load, transcriptome and the surface-receptor proteome at the single-cell level. By analyzing the wide scCITEseq panel of surface receptors, we aim to identify cell-type specific biomarkers in matched respiratory and blood samples that correlate with the COVID-19 severity and disease outcome. Through this multidisciplinary approach we will obtain an unprecedented insight in the viral-host interactions occurring in Covid19 patients, revealing novel therapeutic targets as well as biomarkers that are urgently needed for a more effective treatment and stratification of Covid19 patients.