Identification of drugs potentially capable of reducing the mortality of COVID-19

[Joachim]

Inflammation is a defense mechanism of the body to fight pathogens. However, when it is widespread and excessive, it can aggravate the pathology and even cause death. One of the ways in which this excessive response occurs is called a cytokine storm, an inflammatory process produced by these proteins, cytokines, which send a signal that triggers the immune system. "This response is often the cause of death in those affected by SARS-CoV-2 rather than the virus itself," explains Óscar Fernández-Capetillo, head of the Genomic Instability Group at the National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO). He is one of the authors of the article published today in Scientific Reports that sets out a hierarchical list of compounds that could potentially reduce mortality in the most serious COVID patients based on their power to halt this chemical storm. Their use could also be extended to other pathologies in which this inflammatory phenomenon also occurs.

Link naar het originele artikel