Jacob Yount, PhD

Since antiviral drugs or vaccines with the necessary specificity to target individual viruses take time to develop and may have limited therapeutic windows, new strategies are needed. Our approach involves enhancement of a natural anti-inflammatory and tissue repair mechanism in the lungs. Our team previously discovered that a protein known as Mitsugumin 53 (MG53) has both reparative and anti-inflammatory properties, and that the natural levels of this protein in the body can be enhanced. We found that therapeutic injection of MG53 prevents damage to lungs and death of mice infected with an otherwise lethal dose of influenza virus. We will test the breadth of MG53's benefits by measuring its effects in infections of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. We will also identify and characterize the molecular mechanisms by which MG53 preserves the lungs during infection. We envision that MG53 will provide a much needed new treatment option for existing and emergent respiratory virus infections.