Skip to Content
77 Mass Ave

Where the coronavirus strikes

Researchers have identified the specific cell types most vulnerable to viral invasion.
June 16, 2020
NIAID

The symptoms of covid-19 often affect the respiratory and digestive systems, so it makes sense to suppose that the virus may target cells in those parts of the body. Now researchers at MIT, Harvard, and elsewhere have identified specific types of cells in the lungs, nasal passages, and intestines that are particularly susceptible.

The research, led by chemistry professor and IMES researcher Alex K. Shalek and former postdoc Jose Ordovas-Montanes (now at Boston Children’s Hospital), grew out of other scientists’ work showing that the virus takes advantage of two human receptor proteins, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and TMPRSS2, to bind to host cells and get inside them. Using existing data, they were able to search for cells that express RNA for those proteins much more than others do, meaning they are more likely to produce the proteins and thus be more vulnerable to the virus. These include mucus-­producing cells in the nasal passages, lung cells responsible for keeping the alveoli (air sacs) open, and intestinal cells responsible for absorbing certain nutrients.

Much of the data came from labs participating in the Human Cell Atlas, a project to catalogue patterns of gene activity for every cell type in the body. “Because we have this incredible repository of information, we were able to begin to look at what would be likely target cells,” Shalek says. “Even though these data sets weren’t designed specifically to study covid, it’s hopefully given us a jump-start.”

The data could help scientists working on new covid-19 treatments or testing drugs that could be repurposed. “Our goal is to get information out to the community and to share data as soon as is humanly possible,” Shalek says.

Keep Reading

Most Popular

Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.

And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.

OpenAI teases an amazing new generative video model called Sora

The firm is sharing Sora with a small group of safety testers but the rest of us will have to wait to learn more.

Google’s Gemini is now in everything. Here’s how you can try it out.

Gmail, Docs, and more will now come with Gemini baked in. But Europeans will have to wait before they can download the app.

This baby with a head camera helped teach an AI how kids learn language

A neural network trained on the experiences of a single young child managed to learn one of the core components of language: how to match words to the objects they represent.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.