Clinical Proteomics in COVID-19 Infection

Earlier this month, researchers at Francis Crick and Charité- Universitätsmedizin Berlin published a study in Cell Systems that identified protein biomarkers from patients hospitalized with COVID-19. In this study, they collected serum and plasma samples from individuals shortly after being hospitalized to find which proteins might be associated with severe outcomes. Their ultra-high-throughput proteomics utilizes an affordable mass spectrometry workflow in order to support rapid testing of biomarkers in patients. Their work aimed to offer an avenue to predict whether the patient would become critical through measurement of biomarkers.

Through this study of COVID-19 patients, the authors identified 27 potential biomarkers with differential expression depending on the severity of the patient’s condition of which some were previously unassociated with COVID-19. To explore the biology underlying the proteins that are upregulated by COVID-19, we analyzed them with our tool, CompBio™. 

Upon exploring the proteins in CompBio, the impact of COVID-19 on modulating inflammation and coagulation mechanism is illustrated very clearly. Further, CompBio also shows the similarities in the profile of COVID-19 and other disorders.