Evaluating the determinants of coronavirus tropism in 3D models of human pulmonary epithelia

Aim: This study will compare the tropism of SARS-CoV-2 and more benign human coronaviruses for primary epithelia of the respiratory tract, to determine whether tropism associates with pathogenicity. The research team will use models based on reconstructed human airway epithelia and take advantage of a lung-on-chip technology that mimics the pulmonary alveolae stretch associated with breathing to develop physiologically relevant models of SARS-CoV-2 infection.