2 projects
Status
Domain
Organization Type
Functional characterization of COVID-19 patient gut microbiome
While COVID-19 is mainly considered an airway and lung disease, up to 79% of patients present with gastrointestinal symptoms and recent studies report on the presence of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA and particles in stools of infected patients, suggesting that the gastrointestinal (GI) tract may have a more important role in disease pathology or transmission than previously thought. The GI tract is also the site of the dense and diverse microbiome, which has the ability to regulate intestinal and systemic immunity through the conversion of dietary nutrients into bioactive metabolites. Consequently,...
Screening for small molecule activators of mesenchymal stem cells as potential therapeutics for C...
Some COVID-19 patients have been successfully treated with mesenchymal stem cells. Most probably, the positive effect comes from the immunomodulatory function of mesenchymal stem cells on the inflammatory burst in the virus-damaged alveolar region. An already established 3D in vitro model representing the alveolar barrier will be enriched with mesenchymal stem cells to further increase the similarity to the human in vivo situation. We suggest to use these alveolar models as a tool to screen for small molecules that activate endogenous mesenchymal stem cells and that have therefore therapeut...
