The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) contemplated yet another project led by researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) and CINTESIS – Center for Health Technology and Services Research.

The project “iHIPI: Hyperinflammation and immunological profile of patients with COVID-19 at the Centro Hospitalar de Vila Gaia/Espinho”, coordinated by Matilde Monteiro-Soares (FMUP/CINTESIS), was distinguished in the second edition of the RESEARCH4COVID19 contest with funding which amounts to 40 thousand euros.

In addition to the FMUP/CINTESIS researcher, the team includes Daniela Martins Mendes, from the Hospital Center of Vila Gaia/Espinho and I3S, and Rúben Fernandes, from the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (IPP/PORTIC, the reference laboratory where the laboratory tests will be carried out).

The main objective is to understand the mechanisms of the patient’s immunity with COVID-19 and describe the potential associations between the immunological profile and clinical data, in order to stratify the risk, to act preventively and to avoid fatal outcomes.

In this sense, the research team will carry out a multifactorial assessment of the inflammatory profile and the immunological profile (IgM/IgG) of about two hundred inpatients and their families, as well as health professionals from that hospital in the North of the country to track the presence or exposure to infection by the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

According to the scientists, the immune profile of patients is related not only to the antibodies that patients develop against the virus but also to the profile of cytokines, which are chemical messengers of the immune system and produce inflammation.

“Although inflammation is an expected defense mechanism in combating aggressive agents, there is sometimes an imbalance that leads to an elevation of these cytokines above desirable values, that is, hyperinflammation. This storm of cytokines can lead to the failure of several vital organs and often leads to death,” they explain.

Among the 13 pro-inflammatory markers to be analyzed is IL-6. High levels of this cytokine seem to be associated with greater disease severity and higher mortality.