News Releases & Research Results T cell abnormality characteristic of severe COVID-19

The results of the collaborative research project conducted by Associate Professor Masahiro Ono of Imperial College of London, the UK (also as Visiting Associate Professor in the International Research Center for Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University), Professor Yorifumi Sato of Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, and others.

• Genetic analysis of lung tissue from patients with COVID-19 indicated that the function of the molecules that serve as an intrinsic brake on T cells may be impaired in severe cases, resulting in excessive T-cell responses and leading to the aggravation of the condition.
• These results may support further basic and clinical research on the prevention of severe pneumonia associated with COVID-19.

This research project was conducted with the support of the International Collaborative Research Program and the Research Program on Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases by AMED.

These results were published in Frontiers in Immunology, a scientific journal on October 8.

Bahire Kalfaoglu et al. T-cell hyperactivation and paralysis in severe COVID-19 infection revealed by single-cell analysis Frontiers in Immunology
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.589380