How UCLA scientists are using stem cells to take on COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, UCLA researchers are rising to the occasion by channeling their specialized expertise to seek new and creative ways to reduce the spread of the virus and save lives. Using years ’ — or even decades’ — worth of knowledge they’ve acquired studying other diseases and biological processes, many of them have shifted their focus to the novel coronavirus, and they’re collaborating across disciplines as they work toward new diagnostic tests, treatments and vaccines.At UCLA, more than 230 research projects, including several being led by members of theEli and Edythe Broad Center of  Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA, are contributing to that mission.“As a result of the pandemic, everyone on campus is committed to finding ways that their unique expertise can help out,” said Dr. Brigitte Gomperts,professor and vice chair of research in pediatric hematology-oncology and pulmonary medicine at theDavid Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a member of theUCLA Children ’s Discovery and Innovation Institute. “So many of my colleagues have repurposed their labs to work on the virus. It’s very seldom that you have one thing that everybody’s working on, and it has been truly inspiring to see how everyone has come together to try and solve this.”Here ’s a look at five projects in which UCLA scientists are using stem cells — which can self-replicate and give rise to all cell types — to take on COVID-19.Using l...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news