Israeli researchers have discovered that a protein from the SARS-CoV-2 virus can cause the immune system to attack healthy cells mistakenly.
Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that the virus’s nucleocapsid protein (NP), which normally helps package the virus’s genetic material inside infected cells, can spread to nearby uninfected cells. Once on the surface of these healthy cells, NP would be mistakenly identified by the immune system as a threat. The immune system then deploys anti-NP antibodies, which mark these uninfected cells for destruction. The process triggers an immune response that leads to inflammation and tissue damage, contributing to severe COVID symptoms and possibly long COVID.
The study also found that the drug enoxaparin — a common blood thinner and heparin analogue — blocks NP from sticking to healthy cells. According to the researchers, the discovery may offer new hope for reducing immune-related complications in COVID and potentially other viral infections.
Meanwhile, a newly identified COVID-19 variant known as NB.1.8.1 has been spreading rapidly across multiple parts of the world, raising fresh concerns. The variant, which belongs to the Omicron family, was first detected in January 2025 and has since reached countries including India, the US, the UK, Australia, China, the Maldives, and Egypt.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially labelled it a “Variant Under Monitoring,” meaning it is spreading fast enough to warrant attention, but not enough to be classified as a major threat.
