Rob Schwartz - December 2, 2020

Rob E. Schwartz, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Physiology, Biophysics & Systems Biology. Weill Cornell Medicine, United States, "Development of Stem Cell/Organoids Models for COVID-19 Disease Modeling"

As we learn more about COVID-19 it has become apparent that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has effects on not only the lung but on many organ systems. Dr. Schwartz’s group sought to characterize SARS-CoV-2 infection using organoid models. His group used iPS derived cells to generate organoids for multiple organ systems including the lung, liver, colon and pancreas. They found that lung, liver, colon, heart and pancreas organoids were the most permissive to viral entry and replication and surprisingly found that pancreatic islet cells were particular permissive to infection with SARS-CoV-2. Specifically, beta cells which produce insulin, showed a dedifferentiation phenotype. Furthermore, chemical screens on lung and colon organoids uncover imatinib, mycophenolic acid (MPA), quinacrine dihydrochloride (QNHC) as possible therapeutic options, Indeed, MPA is currently being evaluated in clinical trials.