About COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has posed a significant threat to global health. The outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020. Up to now, COVID-19 has been recognized in the world, with millions of laboratory-confirmed cases and more than several 100 thousand deaths. This novel virus spread mainly through respiratory droplets and close contact. As disease progressed, a series of complications tend to develop, especially in critically ill patients. Pathological findings showed representative features of acute respiratory distress syndrome and involvement of multiple organs. Apart from supportive care, no specific treatment has been established for COVID-19. As a novel disease, many mysteries of COVID-19 are still uncovered. VitroVivo will contribute our expertise in molecular pathology and offers SARS-CoV-2 ISH and related gene IHC services to accelerate COVID-19 investigation.
Histopathology and Molecular Pathology Services for COVID-19 Research
1. In Situ Detection of Viral RNA Markers
| Services Provided by VitroVivo | Application |
| SARS-CoV-2 IHC | Detect specific SARS-CoV-2 protein in FFPE samples |
| SARS-CoV-2 In Situ hybridization (ISH) | Detect specific SARS-CoV-2 RNA in FFPE sections. |
2. In Situ Detection of SARS-CoV-2 receptor: ACE2
| Services Provided by VitroVivo | Application |
| Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-2 (ACE2) IHC or ISH | Detect localization and expression level of SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 in tissue in situ. |
Reference: Shang, J. . et al. Structural basis of receptor recognition by SARS-CoV-2. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2179-y (2020).
3. In Situ Detection of Cytokine Storm Markers
| Services Provided by VitroVivo | Application |
| ISH or IHC for IL-1B, IL-6, IL2,IL10, TNFα,IFNγ, IL8,IL-12, IL-4 | Detect the expression of cytokine storm markers in situ. |
4. In Situ Detection of Lung Tissue/ARDS Markers
| Services Provided by VitroVivo | Application |
| IHC or ISH for AQP5, SFTPB, RAGE (AGER), SP-D (SFTPD), KL-6 (MUC1), CC16 (SCGB1A1) | Detect the expression of cytokine storm markers in situ. |
5. Immunohistochemical Identification of Immune and Inflammatory cells
| Services Provided by VitroVivo | Application (human) |
| CD3 IHC | T Cell marker |
| CD4 IHC | Helper T Cell (Th) marker |
| CD8 IHC | Cytotoxic T Cell marker |
| FOXP3 IHC | Regulatory T cell (Treg) marker |
| CD68 IHC | Macrophage marker |
| CD80, CD86, or iNOS IHC | pro-inflammatory (M1-like) Macrophage marker |
| CD163 or CD206 IHC | anti-inflammatory (M2-like) Macrophage marker |
| CD56/ CD3 IHC (IF) | NKT Cell (CD56+/ CD3+) and NK Cell (CD56+and CD3-) marker |
| CD19 IHC | B Cell marker |
| CD138 IHC | Plasma Cell marker |
| CD11b IHC | Myeloid Cell marker |
| CD45 IHC | Leukocyte marker |
Fig. Molecular immune pathogenesis and diagnosis of COVID-19
From: X. Li et al., Molecular immune pathogenesis and diagnosis of COVID-19, Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpha.2020.03.001