simply blood

Read the highlights from  Inhibitory effects of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and BNT162b2 vaccine on erythropoietin-induced globin gene expression in erythroid precursor cells from patients with β-thalassemia   by Lucia Carmela Cosenza, Giovanni Marzaro, Matteo Zurlo, Jessica Gasparello, Cristina Zuccato, Alessia Finotti, and Roberto Gambari In this issue of Simply Blood, we are highlighting a manuscript led by first author Lucia Carmela Cosenza conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Roberto Gambari at the Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy. This is the first study to demonstrate that both the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein and BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine can inhibit fetal hemoglobin (HbF) production by and reduce γ-globin mRNA accumulation in β-thalassemic erythroid precursor cells (ErPCs). Despite widespread vaccination efforts, COVID-19 remains a global health challenge. Emerging research suggests that the SARS-CoV-2 S-protein may contribut...