Professor Hirofumi Sawa, Director of the IVReD, participated in a research group (Professor Kyoko Hida , Assistant Professor Nako Maishi (at the time of the research)of the Faculty and Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, PhD candidate Yuya Sakurai(at the time of the research) of the Faculty and Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Professor Yusuke Oba and Associate Professor Yoichiro Fujioka of the Faculty and Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Professor Yasuko Oba and Associate Professor Michihito Sasaki of the International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, and Professor Yasuhiro Hida of Fujita Health University) found that senescent vascular endothelial cells that do not express ACE2—the main viral entry receptor—take up SARS-CoV-2 with high efficiency and exhibit an inflammatory response proportional to the viral load.

Point

• Research on ACE2-independent virus uptake in vascular endothelial cells and its involvement in COVID-19 severity.
• Discovered that senescent vascular endothelial cells have a high ability to take up viruses and induce a strong inflammatory response.
• High expectations for the development of methods to prevent and treat severe cases of COVID-19 by targeting aged vascular endothelial cells.

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