Systematic Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 Neurotropic Capacity in Modestly and Critically Ill Patients, and Patients Who Died From COVID-19

University Hospital Basel

Status: Completed

Conditions: COVID-19 Disease

Treatments: Other: Microscopy of defined brain regions on autopsy specimens; Other: CNS magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) imaging; Other: Data collection from blood draw; Other: Data collection from lumbar puncture

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04472013

2020-01503 ch20Hutter;

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study is to analyze the microglia reaction or direct neurotropic effects of CNS COVID-19 in pathogenesis and brain stem dysfunction in critically ill patients. A microglia-focused, brain-specific 50+ marker CODEX panel is used to assess the neuroinflammatory microenvironment in specific brain regions of deceased COVID-19 patients. The peripheral (cerebrospinal fluid and peripheral blood) cytokine response to SARS-CoV-2 is investigated in regard to CNS affection and consecutive blood brain barrier disruption leading to braininherent neuroinflammatory reactions

Full description

This study is to analyze the microglia reaction or direct neurotropic effects of CNS COVID-19 in pathogenesis and brain stem dysfunction in critically ill patients. A microglia-focused, brain-specific 50+ marker CODEX panel is used to assess the neuroinflammatory microenvironment in specific brain regions of deceased COVID-19 patients. The peripheral (cerebrospinal fluid and peripheral blood) cytokine response to SARS-CoV-2 is investigated in regard to CNS affection and consecutive blood brain barrier disruption leading to braininherent neuroinflammatory reactions. Primary endpoints of this project are the multidimensional integration of the analysis from the procedures described above and assessment of the correlation between the gained clinical data (MRI, mental/neurological state), the body fluid proteomic and mass-cytometric analysis (CSF and Plasma proteomics, peripheral blood mass cytometry) and the CODEX analysis of defined brain regions on autopsy specimens.

Non-critically ill COVID-19 patients and critically ill COVID-19 patients needing mechanical ventilation at the ICU are included. Autopsy specimens from medulla oblongata, cortex, cerebellum and olfactory bulb are investigated, including only tissue samples, which have been submitted to the Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Basel.

Enrollment: 40 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• COVID-19 positive tested

Exclusion criteria

• COVID-19 negative tested
• pregnant women