Red blood cell exchange for SARS-CoV-2: A Gemini of therapeutic opportunities

As of now, therapeutic strategies for the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) are limited and much focus has been placed on social distancing techniques to “flatten the curve”. Initial treatment efforts including ventilation and hydroxychloroquine garnered significant controversy and today, SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks are still occurring throughout the world. Needless to say, new therapeutic strategies are needed to combat this unprecedented pandemic. Nature Reviews Immunology recently published an article hypothesizing the pathogenesis of TAM (Tyro3, Axl, and Mer) receptor signaling in COVID-19. In it they expressed that hypercoagulation and immune hyper-reaction could occur secondary to decreased Protein S (PROS1). And hypoxia has been recently discovered to significantly decrease expression of PROS1. Regarding the cause of hypoxia in COVID-19; NIH funded research utilizing state-of-the-art topologies has recently demonstrated significant metabolomic, proteomic, and lipidomic structural aberrations in hemoglobin (Hb) secondary to infection with SARS-CoV-2. In this setting, Hb may be incapacitated and unable to respond to environmental variations, compromising RBCs and oxygen delivery to tissues. The use of red blood cell exchange would target hypoxia at its source; representing a Gemini of therapeutic opportunities.