A gene that could be responsible for worsening flu and COVID cases, according to a study

A study suggests that a gene could be responsible for the worsening of different respiratory diseases

In a world-first discovery that could revolutionize the medical care of millions of hospitalized peoplea group of international researchers has A gene associated with rapid recovery of hospitalized patients with respiratory viral infections has been identifiedsuch as influenza or Covid-19, and their potentially fatal complications

Given that Respiratory viral infections pose significant health threats, Researchers and doctors have long grappled with the mystery of why some people succumb to severe infections while others recover unscathed.

In a study published in Cell and directed by the Instituto Peter Doherty for Infections and Immunity, scientists revealed the fundamental role of a gene called OLAH in the severity of the disease.

Coronavirus impacts different people differently

Their findings show that highly elevated expression levels of OLAH were strongly associated with severe respiratory viral infections, while minimal expression of this gene was found in recovery and milder disease.

“Our first revealing moment came during our analysis of hospitalized patients with influenza A(H7N9), where we discovered a consistent association between high levels of OLAH expression and fatal outcomes. In contrast, Patients who recovered showed very low OLAH expression throughout their hospital stay“We are excited to announce that the new research will be launched in 2019,” said Dr Brendon Chua of the University of Melbourne, a viral and translational immunologist at the Doherty Institute, who led the groundbreaking research and is co-senior author on the paper.

And he added: “Further research with animal models and cell cultures revealed that OLAH is critical in generating potentially deadly inflammation associated with respiratory viruses. What is interesting is that We all have this genebut Its expression varies during the early stages of a respiratory infectionso some of us recover faster, while others suffer serious complications.”

The OLAH gene could serve as a universal indicator of disease severity in different respiratory infections (EFE/Quique García)

Researchers found elevated levels of OLAH in patients severely infected with the seasonal influenza virus, SARS-CoV-2, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and in children experiencing multisystem inflammatory syndrome, a condition associated with COVID-19, but not in mild cases.

The teacher Katherine Kedzierska from the University of Melbourne, head of the Human T Cell Laboratory at the Doherty Institute, who has led this research since 2013, highlighted the importance of the Research to advance understanding of respiratory viruses and its potential long-term impact on patients’ health.

“We are really excited about the potential of gene OLAH to serve as universal indicator of disease severity in different respiratory infections,” said Professor Kedzierska.

The team is now working on developing OLAH-based diagnostic methods that can be implemented in clinics (EFE/EPA/ABED AL HASHLAMOUN)

“Imagine if your doctor could predict whether your respiratory infection will be life-threatening or whether you will recover quickly. Our findings suggest that OLAH expression levels could be used as a predictor of a cutting-edge tool for assessing patient prognosis, which would provide physicians with crucial information for early risk assessment and personalized treatment strategies,” he added.

Laureate Professor Sharon Lewin from the University of Melbourne and Director of the Doherty Institute praised the researchers for their potentially life-saving discovery: “I am immensely proud of the pioneering work that Professor Kedzierska and her team at the Doherty Institute have done, in collaboration with colleagues around the world, including Fudan University. This study, which It has been 10 years in the making, it represents a monumental effort which will ultimately shape the future of respiratory infection treatment.”

“This research provides valuable information that could have a profound impact on clinical practice and the lives of people suffering from respiratory infections. I look forward to the day when this new method is available for use in patients,” she added.

Researchers want to advance understanding of respiratory viruses and their potential far-reaching impact on patient health (EFE/EPA/LUONG THAI LINH)

The team is now working on developing OLAH-based diagnostic methods that can be implemented in clinics to assess hospitalized patients upon admission and differentiate between those who will recover and those who will face life-threatening outcomes.

Highlighting the importance of this discovery, Dr. Jeremy Chase Crawford of the Department of Host-Microbe Interactions and the Center for Infectious Disease Research at St. Jude, co-senior author of the study, emphasized its potential for future research.

“It took years of close collaboration with basic scientists and physicians around the world studying different infections and diseases to uncover the important role of OLAH in immune response. This is just the beginning of our exploration of OLAH; there is much more work to be done in the field of infectious diseases and other potential applications,” Crawford said.

Meanwhile, Professor Kedzierska and her team will explore how OLAH can contribute to the development of therapeutic treatments for pathogens with pandemic potential, one of the foundation projects funded by the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics, a centre that was established following a $250 million gift to the University of Melbourne by Mr Geoffrey Cumming, the largest philanthropic donation to medical research in Australian history.