A potential treatment of COVID-19 with TGF-β blockade

摘要

The rapid spread of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2causing COVID-19 across the world poses a majorthreat to the global health. The major cause of death ininfected patients is severe acute respiratory distresssyndrome (ARDS) caused by the SARS-Cov-2 virus.Similar to the SARS virus and unlike the seasonalinfluenza virus, the high mortality rate in COVID-19patients without visible immunodeficiency hascaused panic in the general population. The currentlack of specific and effective therapies for theCOVID-19 is one of the major problems in controllingdisease severity. Based on the clinical and laboratoryfeatures and lung pathological manifestations ofCOVID-19 patients combined with publishedpathological and immunological features present inthe lungs of previous SARS patients, I hereby proposea potential immunotherapy for the severe COVID-19through blockade of transforming growth factor-beta(TGF-β).