Breakthrough Could
Inform Coronavirus Treatment Strategies
by Editorial Staff | March 16, 2020 (Last Updated: March 16, 2020)
COVID-19 is
currently the top story worldwide. Other events of the new year seemingly pale
in comparison to how this evolving health crisis – now upgraded to a pandemic
by the World Health Organization (WHO) – continues to unapologetically consume
our daily lives.
So, in this spirit,
we exchanged germ-free elbow bumps upon learning that one of our researchers,
John Schoggins, Ph.D., made an exciting medical discovery in early March. An
associate professor of microbiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in
Dallas, Texas, Dr. Schoggins and his international collaborators (Charles Rice,
Ph.D., at The Rockefeller University in New York and Volker Thiel, Ph.D., at
University of Bern in Switzerland) are credited with identifying LY6E, a
naturally occurring protein that has been shown to inhibit coronavirus
infection. Their findings are detailed in a pre-print article, entitled “LY6E Impairs Coronavirus Fusion
and Confers Immune Control of Viral Disease.”
“My lab has a
longstanding history researching how cells defend themselves from viral
infection. This particular protein, LY6E, demonstrates the ability to block the
COVID-19 virus and other coronaviruses like SARS and MERS from fusing to the
cells, thus significantly reducing the probability of infection when tested in
vitro [outside living organism]. It also helps the immune system control
coronavirus disease in vivo [within living organism],” explained Dr. Schoggins
to the Lung Association.
Dr. Schoggins
received the Lung Association’s Innovation Award in 2019-2020, which aims to
match the brightest minds with the best science, in support and recognition of
his pioneering project, “New Avenue for Keeping Influenza in Check.” Through
this project, which set out to investigate how macrophages [large white blood
cells] affect the influenza virus, the team ultimately landed on LY6E and
determined it plays a key role in the primary immune response defending against
coronavirus. Quite an opportune outcome during an ongoing global race to curb
the fast-paced spread of COVID-19.
Now that LY6E has
been detected and examined, they plan to expand their inquiry to see whether it
can be translated into treatment options. “We’re thinking about ways to mimic
LY6E in the hopes of developing a complementary small molecule or peptide drug
target, along the lines of a fusion inhibitor,” Dr. Schoggins added. “The team
is appreciative of organizations such as the American Lung Association for
taking chances on cutting-edge research such as ours.”
We’ll keep you updated on next
steps of Dr. Schoggins’ study, but in the meantime, we’re proud that our
Research Team is hard at work on timely and impactful research! Continue to
follow the American Lung Association on the social platform of your choice for
all your lung health and respiratory news.
https://www.lung.org/about-us/blog/2020/march/researcher-constrains-covid19.html
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