COVID-19: New disease mechanism is simultaneously a therapeutic target

A characteristic feature of severe cases of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is the derailment of pro-inflammatory messenger substances with overactivation of immune cell networks, which then no longer help with warding off viruses, but harm organs, above all the lungs. What exactly causes this inflammatory response to snowball is not however sufficiently understood. A hypothesis in this regard has been put forward by a research team headed up by Univ.-Prof. Clemens A. Schmitt, Member of the Board of Directors of the Department of Haematology and Oncology at Kepler University Hospital, who is also professor in this discipline at Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU). This hypothesis has been investigated in Linz under the overall control of Prof. Schmitt’s team with participation of the Berliner Charité and many other international cooperation partners. The results were recently published in the prestigious international journal Nature [1]. …