Penn Researchers Identify Missing Link for Fighting Viral Pneumonia
Viral infections that occur in a patient’s lungs are a significant cause of hospitalization and death among children and the elderly, but virtually no vaccines or treatments exist for these infections. That could soon change thanks to a study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Researchers believe the cytokine, Interleukin 27 (IL-27), could help to fight and treat these infections.
The researchers worked with a mouse-model of parainfluenza virus infection, Sendai virus, which causes similar symptoms and patterns of tissue damage to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and found that mice without IL-27 signaling suffered worse illness and higher mortality. IL-27 signaling was blocked by genetically engineering mice to lack working IL-27 receptors or IL-27 proteins.
“IL-27 is a specific cytokine naturally produced by immune cells to regulate the response to infection, limiting symptoms such as severe airway inflammation,” said Gaia Muallem, a Perelman School of Medicine Measey
Fellow in the division of renal, electrolyte and hypertension. “Our recognition of IL-27’s importance in mouse models could lead to improved diagnosis and prevention of lung disease following a viral infection in human patients.”
Additional studies are needed to determine whether the administration of IL-27 — possibly via an intranasal spray — can successfully treat several illness stemming from viral infections.