Research centers around the world are focusing on the mechanisms behind the SARS-CoV-2. In this collaborative effort, not only immunologists and epidemiologists participate, but also other specialists who contribute from other points of view, as in the case of oncology.
In this sense, a new research published in the magazine. The Journal of Clinical Investigation in placentas of women (with and without infection by coronavirus) who gave birth during the first wave of the pandemic in Italy, produced amazing results.
“It is important to note that no evidence of vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was found in any newborn, suggesting that the placenta can be an effective maternal-neonatal barrier against the virus, even in the presence of a serious infection”, says Dr. Paolo Nuciforo, head of the Molecular Oncology Group at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), and co-author of the work with Dr. Joan Seoane.
“The virus seeks to escape the control of the immune system and for this it develops different strategies. It’s something it has in common with tumor cells. We observe that the strategies used by tumor cells to escape the immune system are similar to those used by the virus”, explains Dr. Joan Seoane, director of the Preclinical Research Program.
High viral load damage
To carry out the study, 37 pregnant women, 21 of which confirmed a SARS-CoV-2 infection. All women gave birth to asymptomatic babies, except in two cases.
A patient who had a negative result underwent induction of labor due to abortion therapeutic due to a chromosomal abnormality. Another newborn, in this case a positive patient with SARS-CoV-2, had perinatal asphyxia that required mechanical ventilation and oxygen supplementation during the first three days of life, followed by episodes of epilepsy and neurological symptoms that progressively disappeared after drug treatment.
“In this second case, the newborn’s problems were not due to the fact that he was infected with SARS-CoV-2, but because the placenta was severely affected by the disease. So the newborn suffers, but suffers because the placenta is no longer functioning well.“, explained Dr. Nuciforo. In this sample of placenta, severely affected by SARS-CoV-2, The viral load and damage were found to be similar to that caused by the virus in the lungs of patients who died from COVID-19.
However, for this damage to the placenta to occur with implications for pregnancy outcomes, a high viral load needs to reach this organ. “We don’t know how to identify these patients properly, to offer them a differentiated treatment that helps to prevent the placenta from being affected. It is still an unexplored path and in which more research is needed”, said Nuciforo.
Similarities and relationship with cancer
“In analysis, we use the same technology that we use when we study cancer. We saw that the inflammation generated by the virus is very similar to that induced by some tumors. If we understand this inflammatory system, we will be able to develop new treatments”, commented Dr. Joan Seoane.
The research article on the institute’s official website explains that “Cancer and Infectious Disease Research Can Go Hand in Hand”. This is because cancer patients who receive chemotherapy or immunotherapy are especially vulnerable to infections because their immune systems are compromised.
Thus, understanding the similarities between the two diseases represents an extraordinary opportunity to prevent and treat cancer. “The study of bacteria and other microbes that populate our bodies can help us better understand the predisposition to develop cancer and the response to treatments”, explains Nuciforo.
“The study of COVID-19 from different approaches can allow us to discover new processes that are still unexplored. It is important, in some cases, to look at the problem in a different light. and contribute with knowledge from a different area, in this case cancer, to understand and seek solutions for the viral infection”, concluded Seoane.
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