A team from Murdoch University found a set of COVID-19 biomarkers that can inform clinicians and researchers about the systemic effect of this disease.
A research team from Murdoch University’s Australian National Phenome Centre (ANPC) has identified how the SARS-CoV-2 virus affects different biochemical pathways in our body, affecting multiple organs.
The findings, recently published in the Journal of Proteome Research, have important implications for our understanding of a person’s unique response to the disease and the long-term health implications following infection.
“This research offers insights into how each person responds differently to the disease and the importance of monitoring that response early in the patient journey to help optimise the healthcare pathway,” said Prof Jeremy Nicholson, director of the ANPC in a press release.
“To effectively navigate possible future waves of COVID-19, we need to be able to accurately diagnose and predict severity of disease for infected individuals at an early stage so that they can be more effectively monitored and managed,” he added.
About the study
In their study, researchers compared blood plasma markers between a group of COVID-19 positive patients, a group of respiratory patients that were COVID-19 negative and a control group of healthy participants.
Their results showed that participants who were positive for COVID-19 had a distinct and easily recognizable chemical signature. “In particular, we found significant changes in chemicals that both damage and protect the brain following COVID-19 infection,” said Dr Nicola Gray, a co-author of the study in the press release.
The findings suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 virus affects specific biochemical pathways involved with neurotoxicity, neurological disease and liver dysfunction, explained Dr Nathan Lawler, first author of the report in the press release.
The newly identified biomarkers may help clinicians better asses the recovery of COVID-19 patients and may also help identify cases where persistent neuroinflammatory and liver problems are associated with Long-COVID Syndrome, a term used to describe long lasting effects of COVID-19 problems in some patients.
“Across the world, there are likely to be tens of millions of Long COVID syndrome patients who will need clinical assessment and support, and our next task is to develop methods to enhance this process,” Prof Nicholson said in the press release.