NEWSupdate VOLUME 13: ISSUE 1: 2020
N YS C F
The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute
NYSCF Springs Into Action Against COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic is the most significant health issue facing the world today. With millions of cases worldwide, overcrowded hospitals, and no cure, there is a dire need to understand and treat this devastating disease.
At the NYSCF Research Institute, our scientists are using stem cells to create
NY
the specific types of lung cells affected by COVID-19 as a community resource. This will accelerate worldwide research into pressing questions like how the virus
SC F
scientists at wor k in
the lab
infects the lungs, how genetics may make certain individuals more susceptible to severe cases of the disease, and which therapies have the potential to stop or prevent infection. Our vast biobank of stem cell lines allowed us to begin this urgent research immediately, and our labs have remained open throughout the pandemic to address this crisis. “When these lung cells get infected, they make more of the virus, but they also die – eliminating the source of mucus that cleans your lungs,” explained NYSCF Senior Vice President of Research Scott Noggle, PhD, in a research update on stem cell approaches to COVID-19. “We use those cells, created from stem cells, to test large amounts of existing drugs or find new drugs that would prevent the infection in the first place, sparing these cells and stopping the virus from replicating.” Dr. Scott Noggle
The NYSCF Research Institute
Dr. Shuibing Chen
Weill Cornell Medical College
Dr. Feng Zhang
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Dr. Deepta Bhattacharya University of Arizona
Conversation with Experts: Updates on the COVID-19 Fight
Around the world, our Innovators are taking aim at the virus. Shuibing Chen, PhD
Feng Zhang, PhD
Derrick Rossi, PhD
NYSCF – Robertson Investigator Alumna
NYSCF – Robertson Investigator Alumnus
NYSCF – Robertson Investigator Alumnus
Dr. Chen is using organoids (3D clusters of tissue made from stem cells) to study the human cells that are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and has identified drugs that block the virus’s entry into cells.
A rapid paper strip test developed by Dr. Zhang, (based on the revolutionary CRISPR gene editing technology he helped pioneer) could allow point-of-care diagnosis of COVID-19 using materials that only cost about $6 per test.
A SARS-CoV-2 vaccine created by Moderna Therapeutics, founded by Dr. Rossi, has proven generally safe and able to stimulate antibody formation in early clinical trials. It has just begun a large-scale trial in 30,000 participants.
Ascommunity part of NYSCF’s new Virtual Learning and Events Program (see page 5), several members of our Innovator shared promising strides toward faster diagnosis, new treatments, hotspot surveillance, and vaccine research. The group underscored how quickly the scientific community has come together to tackle COVID-19.
“T
his pandemic is devastating, but it has also brought about the most collaborative period of science that I’ve ever experienced... I’ve probably met more people in the last four weeks than I typically would in a year, and everyone who I’ve reached out to about collaborating has been receptive. I think that speaks to how united we are in this fight.”
-Dr. Feng Zhang
F E AT U R E D I N T H I S I S S U E DI V ER SI T Y
ISSCR AWA R D
VIRTUAL EVENTS
N EU RODEGE N E R AT ION
Ensuring that medical breakthroughs reach everyone p.3
Susan Solomon receives Public Service Award p.3
Continuing science education during the pandemic p.5
How brain cells ‘go rogue’ in Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, and more p.6
Contact us at info@nyscf.org or 212.787.4111
W W W. N Y S C F. O R G