COVID-19 is characterized by a clinical picture including symptoms potentially related to damage of the central nervous system (CNS). Therefore, the infection of the nasal mucosa and the lungs by Sars-CoV-2 (Cov2) the agent of COVID-19 may spread to the CNS, including the olfactory bulb and the brainstem, thereby playing a potential key role in the severe respiratory distress observed in COVID-19, although the knowledge in this field is very limited. To fill this gap, we investigate CoV2 neuroinvasion in humans, animal models, and cell culture-based experimental models and decipher the molecular mechanisms involved.
In the project, we propose to perform a transcriptomic analysis in different neurologic tissue of infected hamsters.
Results of this project will provide clues on whether targeting potential neurotropism of Cov2 may be a relevant approach for experimental therapeutics in COVID-19.
