PROGNOSTIC BIOMARKER IN PATIENTS WITH COVID-19

COVID-19 is a global health problem due to its high rate of contagion, the severity of the disease, the pressure on health systems, its socioeconomic impact, and the challenges in its control and prevention. The prevalence during 2019 was that 15% of patients with COVID-19 developed severe illness and 5% a life-threatening critical illness. Having a prognostic marker of the evolution of patients with COVID-19 is essential to effectively manage the disease, allocate resources efficiently, and improve patient outcomes.

Competitive advantages

It is a noninvasive method to predict the clinical deterioration of patients with COVID-19, based on the study of the mRNA expression of a gene. The sample is taken from the nasopharyngeal swab, this offers two advantages: it is noninvasive, and it improves sensitivity (the primary impact of the virus occurs in the upper respiratory tract). The method allows obtaining results quickly and affordably using RT-PCR, a technique widely implemented in the healthcare sector

Uses and applications

The application of the invention is in the medical field, specifically in the COVID-19 diagnostic kit market. Currently, the COVID-19 diagnostic kit market is estimated to grow with a CAGR of 8% in the period 2024-2028. No other genetic prognostic biomarkers have been validated, which relate clinical deterioration and death.