Patients with cardiovascular comorbidities are more susceptible to severe infection with SARS-CoV-2, known to directly cause pathological damage to cardiovascular tissue. We outline a screening platform using human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, confirmed to express the protein machinery critical for SARS-CoV-2 infection, and a SARS-CoV-2 spike-pseudotyped virus system. The method has allowed us to identify benztropine and DX600 as novel inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a clinically relevant stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte line. Discovery of new medicines will be critical for protecting the heart in patients with SARS-CoV-2, and for individuals where vaccination is contraindicated. Williams et al. confirm that human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes express the protein machinery critical for SARS-CoV-2 infection and are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein pseudotyped virus infection. They further use this platform as a screen to identify inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 infection, reporting benztropine (targeting B0AT1/ACE2 complex) and DX600 (targeting ACE2) as potential inhibitors.
【저자키워드】 Pharmacology, Heart stem cells, 【초록키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, Severe infection, ACE2, vaccination, SARS-COV-2 infection, Infection, virus, inhibitors, Medicine, Protein, Pseudotyped virus, SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, Critical, platform, tissue, inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2, individual, complex, Express, susceptible, identify, clinically, embryonic, benztropine, cardiovascular comorbidity, patients with SARS-CoV-2, William, 【제목키워드】 Human, Infection, platform, inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2, embryonic,