The REVIDA chair
(Respiratory viral infections _ From diagnosis to prognosis)
The project
The REVIDA chair
(Respiratory viral infections _ From diagnosis to prognostic)
AAP Chaire industrielle 2023
Duration: 4 years from 2023 October 11th
Funding: 1 401 350 € (700 675€ from ANR and 700 675€ from bioMérieux)
Titular-coordinator: Dr Sophie TROUILLET-ASSANT, Laboratoire commun de recherche, Hospices civils de Lyon
Host institution: Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
Co-funding company: bioMérieux
Objective
With 4 years duration, the REVIDA Chair (Respiratory infections – from DiAgnosis to Prognosis) is held by Dr. Sophie Trouillet-Assant (UCBL/HCL). Hosted at the University Claude Bernard Lyon 1 and working in the HCL/UCBL/bioMérieux joint laboratory, the REVIDA Chair will combine the efforts of the International Research Center for Infectiology (CIRI – CNRS/Inserm/Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1/ENS of Lyon), the Hospices Civils of Lyon and bioMérieux to propose new effective and innovative diagnostic solutions, thereby improving the management of patients with respiratory infections.
It is financed 50% by the industrial partner bioMérieux and 50% by the ANR as part of its Industrial Chair program.
Respiratory infection and diagnosis
The management of respiratory diseases is a significant public health issue, particularly due to the emergence of new pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 , which is responsible for COVID-19. These new viruses expose vulnerabilities in our health systems, and highlight the need for our institutions to be better prepared and capable of responding more swiftly. These viruses are burdens in terms of mortality and morbidity (case of SARS-Cov-2: 7 million deaths worldwide, 20 000 hospitalizations per week during the first wave).
When an individual exhibits signs of respiratory disease (such as cough and fever), it can be challenging to determine the origin of the symptoms at first glance. Diagnosis typically relies on the detection of suspected pathogens through PCR, which targets the DNA or RNA of these organisms. In cases where a viral infection is suspected, initial testing usually focuses on three specific viruses: SARS-CoV-2, RSV, and Influenza virus. However, individuals can be infected by multiple viruses (including SARS-CoV-2, RSV, Influenza virus, Adenovirus, metapneumovirus, rhinovirus, parainfluenza virus, and respiratory syncytial virus), as well as bacteria (such as pneumococcus, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis) or fungi. Consequently, performing specific PCR tests for each potential virus or bacterium responsible for respiratory symptoms is not feasible. Additionally, when a new virus emerges, it can take time for specific PCR tests to become available, creating significant challenges in diagnosis.
Therefore, there is an urgent need for new diagnostic tools to enhance the diagnosis of respiratory infections and improve preparedness for emerging viruses. To address this challenge, the REVIDA chair proposes an innovative approach to infection diagnosis that no longer focuses on finding the pathogen but on the host’s response to learn about the microbial etiology of an infection.
Type I interferon
To this end, the REVIDA project focuses specifically on an immune pathway activated by the host during viral infections: type I interferon.
All viruses share the ability to induce type I interferons, which are proteins secreted by the body in response to a viral infection. This immune response, initiated by cells—especially those circulating in the bloodstream and present in tissues—helps to combat the infection and limit its spread in the body, thanks to the powerful antiviral properties of proteins belonging to the type I interferon family.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, our preliminary results showed that we could quantify the increase in the IFN-I response in the blood and nasal mucosa of SARS-CoV-2 positive patients. This measurement can be performed using nasopharyngeal samples, which are the same samples used for PCR tests.
Today, research prototypes (not yet commercialized) developed by the Chair’s industrial partner, bioMérieux, can measure the IFN-I response, indicating a viral infection in just 45 minutes directly from a nasopharyngeal sample.
