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Jun
Israeli Scientists Discover How COVID-19 Protein Triggers Immune Attacks on Healthy Cells
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David Sekkle / 1 month
- 0
- 2 min read
Israeli researchers have discovered that a protein from the COVID-19 virus can trigger the immune system to mistakenly attack healthy cells. According to a new study published in Cell Reports, the virus’s nucleocapsid protein (NP) can spread to uninfected cells and appear on their surface, where it is wrongly identified as a threat. This misidentification activates an immune response that leads to inflammation and tissue damage—factors contributing to severe COVID-19 and long COVID. The study also found that the blood thinner enoxaparin can block NP from binding to healthy cells, offering a potential way to reduce immune-related complications.
