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Heidelberg/Germany, 11 January 2021 - Development of an in vitro human-derived tissue model for studying virus infection and disease progression in the alveolar cells of the lungs responsible for oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange with the blood might enable the study of possible therapies for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) triggered by SARS-CoV-2. Researchers in the Netherlands have demonstrated that the SARS-CoV-2 replicates efficiently in their model resembling the human bronchioalveolar system that is thought to play a critical role in progression of infection towards pneumonia and ARDS.
It is already established that in people infected with COVID-19 or some other respiratory viruses, alveolar injury can trigger a cascade of events that leads to ARDS, restricting transport of oxygen into the blood to dangerously low levels. There is also mounting evidence that the epithelium lining the alveoli plays a major role in progression of COVID-19. However, in vitro