More than 17 million people have been infected and more than 677K lives have been lost since
the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, there is neither an effective treatment nor is there a
vaccination for this deadly virus. The moderate to severe COVID-19 patients suffer acute lung
injury and need oxygen therapy, and even ventilators, to help them breathe. When a person
gets a viral infection, certain body cells (inflammatory/immune cells) get activated and
release a wide range of small molecules, also known as cytokines, to help combat the virus.
But it is possible for the body to overreact to the virus and release an overabundance of
cytokines, forming what is known as a "cytokine storm". When a cytokine storm is formed,
these cytokines cause more damage to their own cells than to the invading COVID-19 that
they're trying to fight. Recently, doctors and research scientists are becoming increasingly
convinced that, in some cases, this is likely what is happening in the moderate to severe
COVID-19 patients. The cytokine storm may be contributing to respiratory failure, which is
the leading cause of mortality for severe COVID-19 patients. Therefore, being able to control
the formation of cytokine storms will also help alleviate the symptoms and aid in the
recovery of severe COVID-19 patients.