Presenter of 1 Presentation
O025 - AUTOANTIBODY PROFILES ASSOCIATED WITH POST-ACUTE SEQUELAE OF COVID-19 (ID 508)
Abstract
Background and Aims
After the acute phase of COVID-19 infection, many individuals experience persistent symptoms known as post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). Long-term symptoms vary considerably, ranging from enduring anosmia to neurocognitive deficits, and may cause considerable disability and suffering. Although the underlying and likely diverse causes of PASC remain unknown, pre-existing or new-onset autoantibodies are major hypotheses. Therefore, we aim to analyze the autoantibody repertoire in 800 extensively clinically characterized healthcare workers (HCW) followed over 3-5 visits, spanning 8-16 months of the pandemic.
Methods
In the initial phase of the study, we have analyzed 32 HCW with long-term symptoms on two sets of in-house developed planar protein arrays. The untargeted array contains 42000 protein fragments representing approximately 18000 human proteins, while the targeted array contains 1500 full-length secreted or extracellular proteins representing the human secretome.
Results
Early analyses indicate 150 detected autoantibodies on the untargeted (Fig.1A) and targeted (Fig.1B) arrays, with 20 being shared between the long-term symptom groups. In addition, 130 autoantibodies are group-specific, illustrating the breadth of autoantibody responses in COVID-19. The most prevalent autoantibody anti-CFHR2 was found in 6/8 symptom groups, and anti-IFNA and anti-IFNGR IgG were found in single groups, corroborating previous findings.
Conclusions
We have revealed 150 shared and unique autoantibodies in HCW with different symptoms of PASC. These autoantibodies, together with previously internally and externally reported autoantibodies, are currently undergoing extensive longitudinal analysis using bead arrays with the aim to associate autoantibodies with SARS-CoV-2 infection onset and clinical outcomes. Results from this analysis will be presented in Athens.