Newswise Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys, University of California San Diego and their international collaborators have reported that more types of lung cells can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 than previously thought, including those without known viral receptors. The research team also reported for the first time that the lung is capable of independently mustering an inflammatory antiviral response without help from the immune system when exposed to SARS-CoV-2.
This work is especially timely, as cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in the scientists’ hometown of San Diego during a summertime spike. Looking beyond the region, more than half of the states in the country have reported “very high” or “high” levels of infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Headlines have come and gone, but SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 have never left,” says Evan Snyder, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine and a professor in the Human Genetics Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys. “And neither have the scientists studying it.”