Prioritizing FDA approved therapeutics for treating sepsis phenotypes: A
network modeling approach based on neutrophil proteomics
Abstract
Sepsis is characterized by life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by
dysregulated host response to infection. An underlying cause of sepsis
is dysregulation of neutrophil-endothelial interactions. To date,
therapeutic approaches are supportive, and there are no effective drugs
that target immune dysregulation and alter neutrophil-endothelium
function. In our prior investigation, three distinct neutrophil
functional phenotypes (i.e., Hyperimmune, Hypoimmune and Hybrid) were
identified in sepsis patients through a comprehensive analysis
encompassing clinical, organ-on-chip and proteomic assessments. In this
study, we utilized bioinformatics to elucidate cellular processes
impacting each neutrophil phenotype. These findings were leveraged to
identify potential FDA-approved therapeutics that could be repurposed to
target proteins within each phenotype highlighting the impact in
normalizing altered neutrophil-related responses such as adhesion and
migration. A protein-protein interaction network was employed to
prioritize these target proteins. Finally, we identify several FDA
approved therapeutics for treating sepsis including a (pre)clinical
trial therapeutic targeting VTN in the Hybrid phenotype, a therapeutic
targeting TRPV2 in the Hypoimmune phenotype and a (pre)clinical trial
therapeutic targeting H2AC21 in the Hyperimmune phenotype. Thus, we not
only identified critical cellular processes impacting each neutrophil
phenotype but also reveal those protein targets that could be
prioritized for future validation in the treatment of sepsis.