An Easy Assay to Detect Auto-Antibodies Neutralizing Cytokines in Subjects with Critical Infections

Autoantibodies against type I interferon (IFN) are associated with a worse outcome in COVID-19. The measurement of cytokine-neutralizing antibodies has been limited, hindering understanding of their role in clinical practice. We showed that an easy and reliable assay can be reproduced and validated to measure the neutralizing potency of autoantibodies directed to type I or type II IFN. The identification of anti-cytokine autoantibodies might reflect on early treatments in the event of subsequent infections, such as with antivirals or monoclonal antibodies.