The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which began in December 2019, is still ongoing in Korea, with >9,000 confirmed cases as of March 25, 2020. COVID-19 is a severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, and real-time reverse transcription-PCR is currently the most reliable diagnostic method for COVID-19 around the world. Korean Society for Laboratory Medicine and the Korea Centers for Disease Prevention and Control propose guidelines for diagnosing COVID-19 in clinical laboratories in Korea. These guidelines are based on other related domestic and international guidelines, as well as expert opinions and include the selection of test subjects, selection of specimens, diagnostic methods, interpretation of test results, and biosafety.

This study was a phase 1, single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-dosing, and dose-escalating study of intravenous SAL200. It is a new candidate drug for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant staphylococcal infections based on a recombinant form of the phage endolysin SAL-1. The study evaluated the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and tolerance among healthy male volunteers after the intravenous infusion of single ascending doses of SAL200 (0.1, 0.3, 1, 3, and 10 mg/kg of body weight). SAL200 was well tolerated, and no serious adverse events (AEs) were observed in this clinical study. Most AEs were mild, self-limiting, and transient. The AEs reported in more than three participants were fatigue, rigors, headache, and myalgia. No clinically significant values with respect to the findings of clinical chemistry, hematology, and coagulation analyses, urinalysis, vital signs, and physical examinations were observed, and no notable trends in our electrocardiogram (ECG) results for any tested dose were noticed. A greater-than-dose-proportional increase with regard to systemic exposure and the maximum serum concentration was observed when the SAL200 dose was increased from 0.1 mg/kg to 10 mg/kg. This investigation constitutes the first-in-human phase 1 study of an intravenously administered, phage endolysin-based drug. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT01855048 and at the Clinical Research Information Service [ https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/ ] under identifier KCT0000968.).

Park WB, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2019 Dec;35(7):e84. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2020.35.e84

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected over forty million patients worldwide. Although most coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients have a good prognosis, some develop severe illness. Markers that define disease severity or predict clinical outcome need to be urgently developed as the mortality rate in critical cases is approximately 61.5%. In the present study, we performed in-depth proteome profiling of undepleted plasma from eight COVID-19 patients. Quantitative proteomic analysis using the BoxCar method revealed that 91 out of 1222 quantified proteins were differentially expressed depending on the severity of COVID-19. Importantly, we found 76 proteins, previously not reported, which could be novel prognostic biomarker candidates. Our plasma proteome signatures captured the host response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, thereby highlighting the role of neutrophil activation, complement activation, platelet function, and T cell suppression as well as proinflammatory factors upstream and downstream of interleukin-6, interleukin-1B, and tumor necrosis factor. Consequently, this study supports the development of blood biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets to aid clinical decision-making and subsequently improve prognosis of COVID-19.

Background: Autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA) is the commonest form of inherited optic neuropathy. Mutations in the OPA1 gene encoding a dynamin-related mitochondrial protein underlie ADOA and may perturb the biogenesis and maintenance of mitochondria. Objective: To investigate the mutation spectrum of the OPA1 gene and assess alterations in mitochondrial content caused by OPA1 mutations. Methods: Sixteen Korean patients with clinically suspected ADOA were studied. The mutation spectrum of the OPA1 gene was analyzed by PCR single-strand conformation polymorphism and sequencing, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content was quantified by real-time PCR. Results: Eight different mutations were found, including five novel mutations. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed excellent linearity and precision for the determination of mtDNA copy numbers. The number of mtDNA copies per cell in patients with OPA1 gene mutations (ages 7 to 40) was significantly lower than those in all normal control subjects (p = 0.037), particularly lower than in normal control subjects ages 10 to 39 (p = 0.022). Conclusion: The mutation spectrum of the OPA1 gene disclosed marked genetic heterogeneity and the mitochondrial DNA content was found to be lower in autosomal dominant optic neuropathy, which provides direct evidence for a pathogenetic role of mutations of the OPA1 gene.