In this video - How Genetically Engineered Mice Help Us Study COVID-19 - I look at how a mouse that was genetically engineered for studying one virus, helped us understand COVID-19.
To develop effective treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, we needed to understand how the virus interacted with living organisms. For this, scientists typically use model organisms like mice. However, using mice for COVID-19 research presented a significant problem.
COVID-19, caused by a coronavirus, gains entry into human cells by binding to a specific receptor on the cell surface known as ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2). However, the ACE2 receptor in mice differs from the human version, making it impossible for the virus to bind to mouse cells. This meant that mice could not be used to study the virus in a living organism to better understand how it works and to test potential treatments.
Fortunately, genetic engineering provided a solution.
Back in 2007, during the outbreak of another coronavirus, SARS, scientists developed a line of genetically engineered mice that express the human version of the ACE2 receptor. These “humanised” mice could be infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, making them an invaluable tool in the fight against the pandemic.
Using these genetically modified mice, researchers could study how COVID-19 interacted with cells, how it causes disease, and how different treatments might work in a living organism.
