Grant: Operating Grant: COVID-19 Rapid Research Funding Opportunity - Therapeutics

The current SARS-CoV-2 epidemic has taken the world by surprise at the end of 2019. TH virus is highly transmittable and causes severe infections mostly in elderly and people with comorbidities such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cardia disease. The most evident medical complication initially reported and associate with the infection is acute respiratory disease syndrome (ARDS). Recent data clearly indicates that in addition to the lungs, other organs such as the heart and kidneys are affected by the infection. One common finding is the presence of blood clots in veins and arterioles of patients, pointing out to a deregulated coagulation process. In addition to study the inflammation during SARS-CoV-2 infection, our goal is to understand why such blot clots are formed. We will be using different mouse models to address how platelets may get activated and from undersized blood clots. Lastly, we will explore the potential benefits of administrating anti-platelet and anti-coagulant drugs to mice in oder to protect them from the disease.