Neurological complications associated with COVID-19 have been observed frequently. Although SARS-CoV-2 may be abundant in brain tissue of patients, its pathways of entry and the resulting consequences are not well understood. A team of researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) has now shown that cells of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) can be infected in vitro by the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen. The BBB is an important interface between the peripheral vasculature and the central nervous system. In addition, a test system based on human pluripotent stem cells has been developed to screen therapeutics for their effectiveness in attenuating this infection. The study results were published today in the journal Stem Cell Reports.
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