COVERAGE-Immuno Understanding and predicting progression in the early stage of COVID-19 disease

The challenge COVID-19 is characterised by an initial virological phase, with the presence of the virus associated with clinical symptoms. This is followed by an immunological phase, when there can be problems with the immune system, such as hyper-inflammation and a cytokine storm, which are associated with dangerous clinical complications like respiratory dysfunction. The factors associated with the transition to this immunological phase are not known at this stage. The solution COVERAGE-Immuno is a project that aims to perform in-depth, repeated evaluation of immunological markers and RNA data in COVID-19 patients who are being treated at home, to learn more about the disease. The project is embedded in an existing randomised clinical trial, called COVERAGE, that is evaluating several experimental treatments for patients at home. COVERAGE Immuno will use a technological tool that makes it possible to study a wide range of biological pathways with simple blood sampling. Coupled with innovative data science approaches, the project will be able to identify the most relevant biomarkers associated with the progression of the disease and the response to treatment at the early stage of the COVID-19 disease. Expected impact The COVERAGE Immuno study is expected to reveal valuable insights about how COVID-19 transitions to the more dangerous immunological phase, how to predict this phase and also the effectiveness of early treatments. This information can be used to determine the best treatments for victims of COVID-19.