Epigenetic Priming of Inflammatory Genes in COVID-19: Insights into Pathogenesis and Prognosis
- Funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Total publications:0 publications
Grant number: 3R01AI148416-01S1
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Key facts
Disease
COVID-19Start & end year
20202022Known Financial Commitments (USD)
$309,206Funder
National Institutes of Health (NIH)Principal Investigator
STEVEN ZVI JOSEFOWICZResearch Location
United States of AmericaLead Research Institution
Weill Cornell Medicine - Cornell UniversityResearch Priority Alignment
N/A
Research Category
Pathogen: natural history, transmission and diagnostics
Research Subcategory
Pathogen morphology, shedding & natural history
Special Interest Tags
Innovation
Study Type
Clinical
Clinical Trial Details
Controlled Clinical Trial
Broad Policy Alignment
Pending
Age Group
Adults (18 and older)
Vulnerable Population
Unspecified
Occupations of Interest
Unspecified
Abstract
The relatively high morbidity and mortality rates of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic,caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), makes understanding specificrisk factors, pathogenesis and identifying effective therapies a top priority [1], [2]. Age is a general riskfactor, though there is high-variance in the clinical course of COVID-19 in middle-aged patients,including mortality rates over 1% among patients in their 50's [3], [2]. Further, more than one quarter ofnon-survivors in a Wuhan study have no co-morbidities [1]. Non-survivors had elevated serum IL-6, andfeatures of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) [1], [2]. These findings have provided rationalefor initiation of trials to explore therapeutic efficacy of IL-1R and IL-6R blockade in COVID-19 [4]. Instudying epigenetic control of inflammatory genes, we have found that key immune genes in bloodprogenitors are variably regulated by epigenetic poising across individuals, with variability across age anddisease states. Herein, we aim to reveal specific genes, and epigenetic states of these genes, that mayunderlie morbidity and mortality in COVID-19 through use of sensitive epigenomic methods recentlydeveloped by the lab. This work will illuminate features of SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and pathogenesis,which is of the utmost importance if we are to develop effective therapies and patient managementstrategies in a timely manner.