As with most things biology, there is a relatively tight range for optimal: insufficiency of compound X is a problem and excess of compound X is a problem as well, for a different, but related, set of mechanisms…. I have been particularly interested in this concept for the duration of my career, seeing this U…
More validation is emerging for the furin protease (“furin”) hypothesis I posited in this blog: The Furin Protease Connection: From SARS CoV-2 and Anthrax, to Diabetes and Hypertension and that is now available as a pre-print publication here. Considering furin protease inhibitors Scientists are validating furin inhibition as a possible pathway to addressing COVID. And in this Medical News Today…
Good news, and perhaps why so many of us experience COVID-19 without symptoms: Cross reactive immunity
Earlier this year, Coutard et al proposed that the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (S) contains a furin cleavage complex (FCC) which was likely playing a role in the pathogenicity of this particular virus. Fast forward a few weeks, and some further connections can be made with relevance for how we might interpret risk and choose interventions…
The cytokine storm seen in SARS Cov1 and Cov2 might be due to chronic pyroptosis activation. However, known activators of NLRP3 in SARS-CoV differ from CoV2. While SARS Cov1 and COVID19 are genetically very similar, the extraordinarily high rate of infectivity of COVID19 is unique. Prepublication research suggests the cause might be a unique furin-like cleavage site on the spike protein of Cov2 that was absent in Cov1.
