The purpose of this study is to enumerate dendritic cells, to measure IFN-a production by pDC, and to measure cytokines, growth factors, proteins and metabolites/lipids, and to develop a predictive laboratory score for stratifying COVID-19+ individuals into subgroups with different prognoses and therapeutic needs.
Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) specialize in producing type I interferons (IFN-I). As such, they play an important role as an early line of defense against viral infections.
The majority of COVID-19+ individuals follow an uncomplicated course, with a smaller subset of patients requiring hospitalization or intensive care level support.
Early pDC enumeration in the peripheral blood and assessment of IFN-a could help predict outcomes of COVID-19+ individuals.
Additional assessment of cytokines, growth factors, proteins (including complement proteins, clotting factors, adhesion molecules, matrix proteins, receptors, lectins, and tissue injury factors) and metabolites/lipids in COVID-19+ individuals would enable an accurate understanding of the pathophysiology of different complications observed in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 during the inflammatory state of the disease (e.g. myocarditis, acute renal disease, thrombosis).