Mitigating Coronavirus Induced Dysfunctional Immunity for At-Risk Populations in COVID-19: Trained Immunity, BCG and "New Old Friends".

The novel, highly contagious coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 spreads rapidly throughout the world, leading to a deadly pandemic of a predominantly respiratory illness called COVID-19. Safe and effective anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are urgently needed. However, emerging immunological observations show hallmarks of significant immunopathological characteristics and dysfunctional immune responses in patients with COVID-19.

Quantitative real-time PCR assisted cell counting (qPACC) for epigenetic - based immune cell quantification in blood and tissue.

A novel form of immune cell quantification in blood and tissue is described using epigenetic - based, quantitative real-time PCR assisted cell counting (qPACC). The methylation status of the chromatin structure of either actively expressed or silenced genes is the basis of the epigenetic-based cell identification and quantification technology. Discovery of cell type specific removal of methyl groups (demethylation) from the 5'-carbon of the cytosine base in the dinucleotide cytosine phosphate guanine permits precise and robust quantification of immune cells from only small amounts of human blood or tissue samples.