Altered IgG fucosylation driving pathologies in COVID-19: Relevance for diagnosis and therapeutics

People who become infected with COVID-19 react very differently. Some do not notice it, others show mild symptoms and some become seriously ill. Typically, people with complaints either heal or get worse after about a week after infection. This is accompanied by the activation of the adaptive immune system, which is then able to clear the virus. Unfortunately, this immune activation appears to be too intense in some patients. The cause of this is unclear. Research and expected outcomes Research indicates that an important functional switch in antibodies - the sugar fucose - is 'on' in some viral infections, including in critically ill COVID-19 patients, and not in people with mild complaints. In this project, the development of this type of response and its influence on antibody (plasma) therapies in patients is studied. The results will hopefully lead to a more efficient and safer use of antibody-based therapies.