A new gateway has been discovered for Sars-CoV-2 in human cells

SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the coronavirus pandemic, uses more than one gateway to infect cells. We already knew its interaction with the ACE2 receptor, which is very present in the upper and lower respiratory tract. Researchers have now discovered a new cellular receptor in this infectious mechanism. A new path for biomedical research?

Because it’s interesting. The virus is close to that of SARS, another coronavirus responsible for the epidemic that caused severe respiratory problems in Asia between 2002 and 2004 and which also uses ACE2 as an entry point. But SARS-CoV-2 doesn’t infect exactly the same tissues. The discovery of a new mechanism of entry into human cells could explain this difference and help develop more effective antiviral treatments.