Millions of people who've been infected by COVID-19 battle lingering and often puzzling symptoms, including fatigue, joint pain, respiratory problems, and "brain fog." A recent article in Nature Methods reviews the complexities of long COVID, how researchers are working to identify its causes, and the role that mouse models are playing in this vital investigatory work. The article provides details on several Taconic COVID-19 models available or in development, including hACE2 transgenic mice, models that develop mild COVID symptoms, and ACE2 knockout models:
“But at the start of the pandemic, Taconic Biosciences had a mouse model at the ready that had been developed at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston as part of research into SARS-CoV-19. The models are transgenic mice that express human ACE2 (hACE2) that is placed under the regulation of a global promoter...Given the many open questions, the company has been working to generate other models, using 'the entire modern genetic toolbox' with its different types of gene editing and gene targeting, to create a better tool to address long COVID.”
Read more at: nature.com