Indian-American Doctor Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti Finds Possible Treatments to Prevent COVID-19 Death

Indian-American doctor Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti finds possible treatments to prevent death

Washington:

Indian-American doctors and scientists have discovered potential strategies to prevent life-threatening inflammation, lung damage, and organ failure in patients diagnosed with COVID-19.

A study from the laboratory of Dr Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti, an Indian-born researcher working at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Tennessee, published online in the journal Cell, found a hyperinflammatory immune response associated with COVID. After discovery, the drug was identified-19, which causes tissue damage and multiple organ failure in mice by inducing the inflammatory cell death pathway.

Researchers elaborated on how the inflammatory cell death signaling pathway worked, leading to treatments that could disrupt the process.

“Understanding the pathways and mechanisms that cause this inflammation is important for developing effective treatment strategies,” said Dr. Kaneganti, Vice-Chairman of the Faculty of Immunology, St. Jude.

Dr. Kaneganti was born and raised in Telangana. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Kakatiya University in Warangal, where she majored in chemistry, zoology and botany. After that, she got a master’s degree. He holds a PhD from Osmania University, India. She joined St. Jude Garden in Memphis, Tennessee, USA in 2007.

“This study provides that understanding of certain cytokines that activate the inflammatory cell death pathway and have considerable potential for the treatment of COVID-19 and other highly deadly diseases, including sepsis. I have identified, “she said.

Other researchers were St. Jude’s Shradaturadar, Paris Marsamir, Minchen, Balamrugansundalam, Barajbanos, RK Subbaraomali Reddi, Patrick Schleiner, Jeffrey Neil, Peter Vogel, and Richard Webby. Evan Peter Williams, Lillian Zarduondo, Colleen Beth Johnson, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center.

COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The infection killed more than 1.2 million people and made millions more ill in less than a year.

Infections are characterized by elevated blood levels of multiple cytokines. These small proteins are primarily secreted by immune cells and ensure a rapid response to limit the virus. Some cytokines also cause inflammation.

In a statement, St. Jude said the phrase cytokine storm was also observed in inflammatory diseases such as COVID-19, sepsis, and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), at the level of cytokines in the blood. It is used to represent dramatic elevations and other immune changes.

However, the specific pathways that cause cytokine storms and subsequent inflammation, lung damage, and organ failure in COVID-19 and other disorders are unknown.

It also lacked the cellular and molecular mechanisms that comprehensively define cytokine storms. Dr. Kanneganti’s team focused on a selected set of the most elevated cytokines in COVID-19 patients. Scientists have shown that a single cytokine did not induce cell death in innate immune cells, it said.

“The results of this study correlate TNF-α and IFN-γ-induced inflammatory cell death with COVID-19,” said Dr. Kanneganti.

“This result also shows that therapies targeting this combination of cytokines are not only for COVID-19, but also for the treatment of several other often fatal disorders associated with cytokine storms in rapid clinical trials. It suggests that it is a candidate, “she said.

“I was excited to connect these points to understand how TNF-α and IFN-γ cause PANoptosis,” said co-lead author Rajendra Karki, a scientist at the Kannganti Institute. Stated.

“Certainly, understanding how PANoptosis contributes to disease and mortality is important for identifying treatments,” said co-lead author Bhesh Raj Sharma, a scientist at the Kanneganti Institute. Added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from the Syndicate Feed.)