Creating a new mouse model to study COVID-19 lung disease

Grant number: unknown

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Key facts

  • Disease

    COVID-19
  • start year

    -99
  • Known Financial Commitments (USD)

    $0
  • Principal Investigator

    Dr and Dr Manoj and Duncan Lalu and Stewart
  • Research Location

    Canada
  • Lead Research Institution

    N/A
  • Research Priority Alignment

    N/A
  • Research Category

    Pathogen: natural history, transmission and diagnostics

  • Research Subcategory

    Disease models

  • Special Interest Tags

    N/A

  • Study Type

    Unspecified

  • Clinical Trial Details

    N/A

  • Broad Policy Alignment

    Pending

  • Age Group

    Not Applicable

  • Vulnerable Population

    Not applicable

  • Occupations of Interest

    Not applicable

Abstract

Drs. Manoj Lalu, Duncan Stewart and colleagues are working to develop a mouse model of COVID-19 that mimics the severe lung disease seen in humans. The lack of good, accessible animal models of this disease is severely limiting research around the world. The COVID-19 virus doesn't infect regular lab mice very well, and the virus is dangerous to work with because it is so contagious for humans. Drs. Lalu are Stewart are working with Drs. Carolina Ilkow and John Bell, who are creating a novel hybrid virus that features a key protein from the COVID-19 virus (the spike protein) embedded into a well-studied and safe virus called vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). The team will test this hybrid virus in mice that have been genetically engineered to be more susceptible to COVID-19, to mimic the severe lung disease seen in humans.