The Flagship Action PRO-sCAP in Pneumonia

Pneumonia is the leading cause of death from infectious agents worldwide. One of the most significant complications of severe pneumonia is lung infections caused by opportunistic pathogens, such as fungi. These secondary infections often occur in patients with severe pneumonia from influenza and COVID-19, as well as in immunocompromised hematologic patients, but the mechanisms responsible for their development remain unknown.

The Flagship Action PRO-sCAP titled "Holistic Molecular Approach to Immune Damage Mechanisms in Patients with Severe Pneumonia, with the aim of developing personalized biomarkers and innovative models for prognosis and prevention of complications," aims for a comprehensive understanding of the pathogenesis mechanisms of pneumonia and its complications.

Participating researchers will map the mechanisms leading to immunological damage in patients with severe pneumonia using the most advanced technologies in biology and genetics, in combination with machine learning models, with the goal of developing innovative applications for the early prediction and prevention of infectious complications.

The project is complemented by epidemiological and pharmacogenetic studies in Greek patients for the better application of antimicrobial therapies. Additionally, the flagship action will create a valuable collection of biological samples, molecular, immunological, microbiological, and clinical data of patients with pneumonia, microbial strains, and lung organoids, allowing for the development of high-level applied and basic research on respiratory infections.