We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us
INTEGRA BIOSCIENCES AG

Fluidigm

Fluidigm Corporation focuses on the most pressing needs in translational and clinical research, including cancer, imm... read more Featured Products: More products

Download Mobile App




Spatial Landscape of Lung Pathology Investigated During COVID-19 Progression

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 13 Apr 2021
Print article
Image: The Hyperion Imaging System brings proven CyTOF technology together with imaging capability to empower simultaneous interrogation of four to 37 protein markers using Imaging Mass Cytometry (Photo courtesy of Fluidigm)
Image: The Hyperion Imaging System brings proven CyTOF technology together with imaging capability to empower simultaneous interrogation of four to 37 protein markers using Imaging Mass Cytometry (Photo courtesy of Fluidigm)
Early histopathological changes of viral pneumonias are rarely observed because histopathological examination is not necessary for diagnosis, but late stage changes in viral pneumonias are well defined, most commonly in autopsy series.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, much has been learned regarding its clinical course, prognostic inflammatory markers, disease complications, and mechanical ventilation strategy. Clinically, three stages have been identified based on viral infection, pulmonary involvement with inflammation, and fibrosis.

Medical Scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine (New York, NY, USA) and their colleagues used high parameter imaging mass cytometry to measure the expression level of 36 proteins at single-cell resolution, allowing them to characterize the pathophysiology and immune response in the lungs of 10 patients who died from COVID-19. They investigated at single cell resolution, the cellular composition and spatial architecture of human acute lung injury including SARS-CoV-2. The team also looked at samples from patients who died with acute respiratory distress syndrome from influenza (two patients), bacterial infection (four patients), and bacterial pneumonia (three patients), along with post-mortem lung tissue from four otherwise healthy individuals.

The panel included phenotypic markers of endothelial, epithelial, mesenchymal, and immune cells, functional markers (activation, inflammation and cell death), and an antibody specific to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. They used immunohistochemistry and targeted spatial transcriptomic measurements to validate their imaging mass cytometry findings from the Hyperion Imaging System (Fluidigm, South San Francisco, CA, USA).

The scientists reported that the spatially resolved, single-cell data unravels the disordered structure of the infected and injured lung alongside the distribution of extensive immune infiltration. Neutrophil and macrophage infiltration are hallmarks of bacterial pneumonia and COVID-19, respectively. They provided evidence that SARS-CoV-2 infects predominantly alveolar epithelial cells and induces a localized hyper-inflammatory cell state associated with lung damage. They observed increased macrophage extravasation, mesenchymal cells, and fibroblasts abundance concomitant with increased proximity between these cell types as the disease progresses, possibly as an attempt to repair the damaged lung tissue.

Robert Schwartz, MD, PhD, an associate professor of medicine and senior author on the study, said, “In contrast to other lung injury or disease processed, there is widespread tissue damage in late COVID-19 marked by the high amounts of pro-apoptotic cleaved caspase 3 and the off-target deposition of activated complement C5b-C9 attack complex in epithelial cells.”

The authors concluded that this spatial single-cell landscape enabled the pathophysiological characterization of the human lung from its macroscopic presentation to the single-cell, providing an important basis for the understanding of COVID-19, and lung pathology in general. The study was published on March 29, 2021 in the journal Nature.

Related Links:
Weill Cornell Medicine
Fluidigm


Platinum Member
COVID-19 Rapid Test
OSOM COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test
HLX
Complement 3 (C3) Test
GPP-100 C3 Kit
Gold Member
Real-time PCR System
GentierX3 Series

Print article

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: Reaching speeds up to 6,000 RPM, this centrifuge forms the basis for a new type of inexpensive, POC biomedical test (Photo courtesy of Duke University)

POC Biomedical Test Spins Water Droplet Using Sound Waves for Cancer Detection

Exosomes, tiny cellular bioparticles carrying a specific set of proteins, lipids, and genetic materials, play a crucial role in cell communication and hold promise for non-invasive diagnostics.... Read more

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: The study showed the blood-based cancer screening test detects 83% of people with colorectal cancer with specificity of 90% (Photo courtesy of Guardant Health)

Blood Test Shows 83% Accuracy for Detecting Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the second biggest cause of cancer deaths among adults in the U.S., with forecasts suggesting 53,010 people might die from it in 2024. While fewer older adults are dying from this... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: The Gazelle Hb Variant Test (Photo courtesy of Hemex Health)

First Affordable and Rapid Test for Beta Thalassemia Demonstrates 99% Diagnostic Accuracy

Hemoglobin disorders rank as some of the most prevalent monogenic diseases globally. Among various hemoglobin disorders, beta thalassemia, a hereditary blood disorder, affects about 1.5% of the world's... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: The new platform is designed to perform blood-based diagnoses of nontuberculosis mycobacteria (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

New Blood Test Cuts Diagnosis Time for Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Infections from Months to Hours

Breathing in nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is a common experience for many people. These bacteria are present in water systems, soil, and dust all over the world and usually don't cause any problems.... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image: These new assays are being developed for use on the recently introduced DxI 9000 Immunoassay Analyzer (Photo courtesy of Beckman Coulter)

Beckman Coulter and Fujirebio Expand Partnership on Neurodegenerative Disease Diagnostics

Beckman Coulter Diagnostics (Brea, CA, USA) and Fujirebio Diagnostics (Tokyo, Japan) have expanded their partnership focused on the development, manufacturing and clinical adoption of neurodegenerative... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.