In-depth serum proteomics atlas of COVID-19 defines a Severity-Resistance Index from a four-protein panel for disease severity and prognosis
et al., Journal of Translational Medicine, doi:10.1186/s12967-026-08172-4, May 2026
Proteomics and machine learning study of 128 COVID-19 patients (57 mild, 51 severe) and 20 healthy controls, identifying a four-protein serum panel (CCN1, SELENBP1, PLA2G2A, SFTPB) and deriving a Severity-Resistance Index (SRI) for predicting severe COVID-19 and influenza A.
The study highlights the potential for selenium-focused therapeutics by identifying selenium-binding protein 1 (SELENBP1) as a crucial biomarker that is significantly downregulated in patients with severe COVID-19. Authors propose that this marked decrease reflects an underlying selenium insufficiency and elevated oxidative stress, revealing a previously unexplored disruption in selenium-sulfur metabolic homeostasis during severe infection.
He et al., 13 May 2026, China, peer-reviewed, 17 authors, study period January 2023 - May 2025.
Contact: ywangssmu@shsmu.edu.cn (corresponding author), lyyuan@sinh.ac.cn, bingsu@sjtu.edu.cn, yingying.chen@shsmu.edu.cn, xujie@shsmu.edu.cn.
Abstract: ## Journal of Translational Medicine
Article in Press
In-depth serum proteomics atlas of COVID-19 defines a Severity-Resistance Index from a fourprotein panel for disease severity and prognosis
Received: 16 September 2025
Accepted: 14 April 2026
Cite this article as: He L., Wei K., Lu J. et al. In-depth serum proteomics atlas of COVID-19 defines a SeverityResistance Index from a four-protein panel for disease severity and prognosis. J Transl Med (2026). https://doi. org/10.1186/s12967-026-08172-4
Liheng He, Kai Wei, Junyao Lu, Dong Wei, Xiaoxiao Meng, Peng Chen, Lingli Zeng, Ping Ji, Lian Zhang, Xinxin Zhang, Ruilan Wang, Jieming Qu, Jie Xu, Yingying Chen, Bing Su, Liyun Yuan & Ying Wang
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ARTICLE IN PRESS
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In-Depth Serum Proteomics Atlas of COVID-19 Defines a Severity-Resistance Index from a Four-Protein Panel for Disease Severity and Prognosis
Liheng He 1,# , Kai Wei 2,8, # , Junyao Lu 3, # , Dong Wei 4, # , Xiaoxiao Meng 5, # , Peng Chen 1 , Lingli Zeng 1 , Ping Ji 1 , Lian Zhang 8 , Xinxin Zhang 4 , Ruilan Wang 5 , Jieming Qu 7 , Jie Xu 3,* , Yingying Chen 1,* , Bing Su 1,* , Liyun Yuan 2,* , Ying Wang 1,6,7,$,*
1 . Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China ARTIC/E IN PRESS
2 . Bio-Med Big Data Center, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
3 . Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China
4 . Department of Infectious Diseases, Research Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
5 . Department of Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai 201620, China
6 . Shanghai Institute of Virology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University..
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