BU researchers say they found what causes fatal lung inflammation in COVID-19 patients

Original article from Boston 25 News

Among a sea of symptoms in patients with COVID-19 is severe inflammation of the lungs, leading to decreased lung function, the need for a ventilator and possibly even death.

COVID-19, a variation of acute respiratory infections, wreaks havoc on the respiratory system by attacking lung cells and suppressing the body’s immune response, according to new data from Boston University researchers.

Using lung tissue developed by human stem cells, which were originally used to study the effects of smoking on the lungs, doctors at the Boston University Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM) and National Emerging Infections Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) have uncovered the process that COVID-19 uses to erode lung function in infected patients.

The virus initially prevents the lung cells from calling for help from the immune system by stopping proteins called interferons, the team said.

“Our data confirms that SARS-CoV-2 blocks cells from activating one of the anti-viral branches of the immune system early on after infection has set in. The signal the cells would typically send out, a tiny protein called interferon that they exude under threat of disease, are instead delayed for several days, giving SARS-CoV-2 plenty of time to spread and kill cells, triggering a buildup of dead cell debris and other inflammation,” explains study author Dr. Darrell Kotton.

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