The project developed by Maria Teresa Fiorenza of the Department of Medicine and Psychology is among the 4 proposals financed by the Telethon Foundation aimed at using knowledge on rare genetic diseases to understand aspects of SARS-CoV-2 infection that are still unknown.

The 114 proposals sent to the "Rare Genetic Diseases and Covid-19" Telethon call were rigorously assessed by an ad hoc scientific committee that selected 4 of them, with total funding of 200k euros.

In particular, Maria Teresa Fiorenza's project will focus on the analogy between the mechanisms used by the new Coronavirus to enter the cells of the human respiratory epithelium and the cellular alterations typical of a rare degenerative genetic disease, the Niemann-Pick type C.

This disease is caused by defects in a protein that is fundamental for the integrity of the cell membrane, the "barrier" that the virus itself must bypass to infect the cell and replicate itself. In addition, it is known from other studies that alterations in this protein make cells more resistant to the entry and spread of other viruses, such as Ebola, SARS, MERS and HIV.

"Cellular models of Niemann-Pick type C disease," - says Maria Teresa Fiorenza - "may therefore help to understand whether this also applies to SARS-CoV-2 and thus help to identify new pharmacological strategies to combat it”.

Further Information

Maria Teresa Fiorenza 
Department of Medicine and Psychology
mariateresa.fiorenza@uniroma1.it