COVID ‐19: lambda interferon against viral load and hyperinflammation
Open Access
- 25 May 2020
- journal article
- editorial
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in EMBO Molecular Medicine
- Vol. 12 (6)
- https://doi.org/10.15252/emmm.202012465
Abstract
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19), triggered by the betacoronavirus SARS‐CoV‐2, has become one of the worst pandemics of our time that has already caused more than 183.470 deaths$ [CAN YOU PLEASE MAKE IT A FOOTNOTE? $JHU data‐23/04/2020, https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6].. Effective therapeutic approaches are urgently needed to reduce the spread of the virus and its death toll. Here, we assess the possibility of using interferon lambda (IFNλ), a third type of interferon sharing low homology with type I IFNs and IL‐10, for treating COVID‐19 patients. We discuss the unique role of IFNλ in fine‐tuning antiviral immunity in the respiratory tract to achieve optimal protection and minimal host damage and review early evidence that SARS‐CoV‐2 may impair IFNλ induction, leading to a delayed type I IFN‐dominated response that triggers hyperinflammation and severe disease. We also consider the potential windows of opportunity for therapeutic intervention with IFNλ and potential safety considerations. We conclude that IFNλ constitutes a promising therapeutic agent for reducing viral presence and hyperinflammation in a single shot to prevent the devastating consequences of COVID‐19 such as pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).Keywords
Funding Information
- European Commission (779295, 767015)
- Janssen Pharmaceuticals
This publication has 12 references indexed in Scilit:
- Virological assessment of hospitalized patients with COVID-2019Nature, 2020
- Clinical Characteristics of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in ChinaNew England Journal of Medicine, 2020
- Structural Genomics of SARS-CoV-2 Indicates Evolutionary Conserved Functional Regions of Viral ProteinsViruses, 2020
- Antagonism of dsRNA-Induced Innate Immune Pathways by NS4a and NS4b Accessory Proteins during MERS Coronavirus InfectionmBio, 2019
- Lambda interferons come to light: dual function cytokines mediating antiviral immunity and damage controlCurrent Opinion in Immunology, 2018
- Interferon-λ Mediates Non-redundant Front-Line Antiviral Protection against Influenza Virus Infection without Compromising Host FitnessImmunity, 2017
- IFNλ is a potent anti‐influenza therapeutic without the inflammatory side effects of IFNα treatmentEMBO Molecular Medicine, 2016
- Dysregulated Type I Interferon and Inflammatory Monocyte-Macrophage Responses Cause Lethal Pneumonia in SARS-CoV-Infected MiceCell Host & Microbe, 2016
- A randomized phase 2b study of peginterferon lambda-1a for the treatment of chronic HCV infectionJournal of Hepatology, 2014
- IL‐28A (IFN‐λ2) modulates lung DC function to promote Th1 immune skewing and suppress allergic airway diseaseEMBO Molecular Medicine, 2011