Translational scientists develop, test and implement innovative methods and technologies that make translational research more efficient and effective, thus improving and accelerating the process of translation across many diseases. Discover some of the innovative NCATS-supported projects that address COVID‑19 and the virus that causes it, SARS-CoV-2.
- 3-D Tissue Models May Speed Virus Drug Testing
- New Approach for Assessing a Compound’s Activity Could Deepen the Pool of Promising Drug Therapies
- Tiny Brain ‘Organoids’ Provide Clues to SARS-CoV-2 Brain Infections
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This 3-D model of lung small airway cells is stained with different colored markers that show certain cell types. The yellow represents the receptor protein involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection. (Yen-Ting Tung, Ph.D., and Olive Jung)
3-D Tissue Models May Speed Virus Drug Testing
Tests used to find drugs with antiviral activity often do not measure a drug’s behavior in the human body, including its ability to stop viruses from infecting cells, and the effects of viral mutations on this ability and disease severity. To help address this challenge, NCATS scientists are developing new 3-D tissue models to examine how respiratory viruses like SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses can infect the lungs and other tissues and cause disease. They plan to use these models to predict how well compounds and drugs perform against these and related viruses.
Read this February 2021 story to learn more about the role of 3-D models in speeding potential treatments to the clinic.
3-D Tissue Models May Speed Virus Drug Testing
Tests used to find drugs with antiviral activity often do not measure a drug’s behavior in the human body, including its ability to stop viruses from infecting cells, and the effects of viral mutations on this ability and disease severity. To help address this challenge, NCATS scientists are developing new 3-D tissue models to examine how respiratory viruses like SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses can infect the lungs and other tissues and cause disease. They plan to use these models to predict how well compounds and drugs perform against these and related viruses.
Read this February 2021 story to learn more about the role of 3-D models in speeding potential treatments to the clinic.
This 3-D model of lung small airway cells is stained with different colored markers that show certain cell types. The yellow represents the receptor protein involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection. (Yen-Ting Tung, Ph.D., and Olive Jung)
New Approach for Assessing a Compound’s Activity Could Deepen the Pool of Promising Drug Therapies
Assessing a drug compound by its activity, not simply its structure, is a new approach that could speed the search for COVID‑19 therapies. This action-based focus — called biological activity-based modeling (BABM) — forms the core of a new approach developed by NCATS researchers and others. NCATS researchers used BABM to identify dozens of potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents. BABM’s impact could extend far beyond the search for COVID‑19 treatments to reveal potential therapies for other diseases.
Read this March 2021 story to learn more about BABM and its use in COVID‑19 research.
The image shows SARS-CoV-2 infection in choroid plexus organoids, 3-D tissue models of brain development created from stem cells. In the top row, choroid plexus cells are shown with different color dyes. In the middle and bottom rows, the white and green dots show virus proteins in the cells, indicating viral infection. (Cell Stem Cell)
Tiny Brain ‘Organoids’ Provide Clues to SARS-CoV-2 Brain Infections
Neurological complications are common in people infected with SARS-CoV-2, but scientists do not fully understand how the virus affects the brain. A team including researchers from NCATS used brain “organoids,” tiny 3-D tissue models of human brain development, to explore this question. They found that the virus appears to congregate in certain brain cells that constitute a small percentage of overall brain cells. Brain organoids will be a useful tool to better understand how SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious pathogens affect the human brain and to test possible treatments.
Read this January 2021 story to learn more about research using brain organoids to study SARS-CoV-2.
Tiny Brain ‘Organoids’ Provide Clues to SARS-CoV-2 Brain Infections
Neurological complications are common in people infected with SARS-CoV-2, but scientists do not fully understand how the virus affects the brain. A team including researchers from NCATS used brain “organoids,” tiny 3-D tissue models of human brain development, to explore this question. They found that the virus appears to congregate in certain brain cells that constitute a small percentage of overall brain cells. Brain organoids will be a useful tool to better understand how SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious pathogens affect the human brain and to test possible treatments.
Read this January 2021 story to learn more about research using brain organoids to study SARS-CoV-2.
The image shows SARS-CoV-2 infection in choroid plexus organoids, 3-D tissue models of brain development created from stem cells. In the top row, choroid plexus cells are shown with different color dyes. In the middle and bottom rows, the white and green dots show virus proteins in the cells, indicating viral infection. (Cell Stem Cell)
Learn more about NCATS’ translational approach to addressing COVID‑19: