Deficient radiation transcription response in COVID-19 patients

In this study, we performed transcriptional profiling of peripheral blood cells by third-generation nanopore sequencing to obtain a comprehensive view of gene expression dysregulation in COVID-19 patients. We were specifically interested in pathways activated in response to radiation and the eventual functional consequences of their potential dysregulation since many COVID-19 patients are likely to receive low doses of ionising radiation for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, with potential doses up to 1 Gy for LD-RT. In addition, COVID-19 patients may have to be exposed to high-dose radiation during cancer radiotherapy (RT).