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Dahl L, Bendes A, Álvez MB, Albrecht V, Aghelpasand H, Björkander S, Merid SK, Mezger A, Käller M, Fredolini C, Naluai ÅT, Beck O, Melén E, Bauer S, Gisslén M, Roxhed N, Schwenk JM
iScience 29 (2) 114611 [2026-02-20; online 2026-01-03]
Blood proteins have provided essential insights into how humans responded to the recent pandemic. To expand our understanding beyond patients seeking medical care, we conducted a citizen-centric survey with 2,000 random residents (age: 18-69 years) from Sweden's two largest cities in 2021. With self-sampled dried blood spots (DBS) and health information from 437 (22%) volunteers, we performed multi-analyte COVID-19 serology, measured autoantibodies (AAbs) against 22 interferons, and quantified 502 circulating low-abundant immune-related blood proteins. Antibody assays confirmed self-reported infections (26%) and vaccinations (40%), showed timing-dependent discrepancies in the immune response, and revealed anti-type I interferon AAbs co-occurring frequently alongside natural infections. Proteomics data added plausible mechanistic insights into cell-mediated processes: data-driven analyses revealed 24% of participants presented deviating immune phenotypes linked to infections, immunity, respiratory effects, and age. Multi-molecular DBS analysis of random layperson samples captured the broader spectrum of immune system states, adding relevant insights for clinical and public health investigations.
NGI Short read [Collaborative]
NGI Stockholm (Genomics Applications) [Collaborative]
NGI Stockholm (Genomics Production) [Service]
National Genomics Infrastructure [Collaborative]
PubMed 41630906
DOI 10.1016/j.isci.2025.114611
Crossref 10.1016/j.isci.2025.114611
pmc: PMC12860695
pii: S2589-0042(25)02872-X