Read UMR's July 13 Statement on NIH Funding in House Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill
NIH Research 101 | UMR Answers Common Questions About NIH Research in this New Fact Sheet Series
NIH's Role In Sustaining the U.S. Economy | 2023 Update Now Available
Why Invest in NIH Research? | UMR Offers Fact Sheets Explaining Why Congress Must #keepNIHstrong

A participant in the NIH 2019-2020 Medical Research Scholars Program.

Photo Credit: National Institutes of Health

About This Photo

Odor-sensing cells in nose seen as key entry point for SARS-CoV-2

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine, experimenting with a small number of human cell samples, report that the “hook” of cells used by SARS-CoV-2 to latch onto and infect cells is up to 700 times more prevalent in the olfactory supporting cells lining the inside of the upper part of the nose than in the lining cells of the rest of the nose and windpipe that leads to the lungs. These supporting cells are necessary for the function/development of odor-sensing cells.