Scientists have long known that these autoantibodies are associated with severe COVID-19, Long COVID and an increased risk of developing autoimmune disease. What has remained unclear is where these harmful antibodies come from.

Researchers at the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) and their collaborators have now identified the immune cell population responsible for producing them and uncovered the molecular program that drives this response. The findings provide new insight into how viral infections can trigger autoimmune responses and identify biological pathways that could one day become targets for new therapies.