Ultra-high-throughput clinical proteomics reveals classifiers of COVID-19 infection
Christoph B. Messner #Vadim Demichev #Daniel WendischFlorian Kurth，Leif Erik Sander
Markus Ralser 15
Open AccessPublished:June 01, 2020DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cels.2020.05.012
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global challenge and point-of-care diagnostic classifiers are urgently required. Here, we present a platform for ultra-high throughput serum and plasma proteomics that builds on ISO13485 standardisation and high-flow liquid chromatography to facilitate implementation in clinical laboratories. Our low-cost workflow quantifies 180 proteomes per day per mass spectrometer, enables high precision quantification, and reduces batch effects for large-scale and longitudinal studies. We use our platform on samples collected from a cohort of early hospitalized cases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and identify 27 potential biomarkers that are differentially expressed depending on the WHO severity grade of COVID-19. They include complement factors, the coagulation system, inflammation modulators, and pro-inflammatory upstream and downstream of interleukin 6. All protocols and software for implementing our approach are freely available. In total, our platform supports the development of routine proteomic assays to aid clinical decision making and generate hypotheses about potential COVID-19 therapeutic targets.
