A5061911428- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing
- COVID-19 epidemiological studies
- Influenza Virus Research Studies
- COVID-19 diagnosis using AI
- Viral Infections and Vectors
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
- Animal Virus Infections Studies
- Respiratory viral infections research
- Phagocytosis and Immune Regulation
- vaccines and immunoinformatics approaches
- Long-Term Effects of COVID-19
- Viral Infections and Immunology Research
- Immune responses and vaccinations
- CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
- Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
- Infection Control and Ventilation
- Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
- Evaluation Methods in Various Fields
- Safety and Risk Management
- Autophagy in Disease and Therapy
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Salmonella and Campylobacter epidemiology
Zhejiang University
2025
University of Hong Kong
2018-2024
Anhui Medical University
2021-2024
Chinese University of Hong Kong
2024
Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
2022
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
2018
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was reported from China in January, 2020. SARS-CoV-2 is efficiently transmitted person to and, months, has caused more than 82 000 laboratory-confirmed cases of disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 2800 deaths 46 countries. The total number surpassed that the 2003 severe (SARS-CoV). Although both COVID-19 (SARS) manifest as pneumonia, associated with apparently efficient transmission, fewer diarrhoea, increased mental confusion, a lower...
Abstract Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging that has resulted in more than 000 laboratory-confirmed cases including over 145 deaths. Although SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV share a number of common clinical manifestations, appears to be highly efficient person-to-person transmission frequently causes asymptomatic or presymptomatic infections. However, the underlying mechanisms confer these viral characteristics high transmissibility infection...
Clinical manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vary from asymptomatic virus shedding, nonspecific pharyngitis, to pneumonia with silent hypoxia and respiratory failure. Dendritic cells macrophages are sentinel for innate adaptive immunity that affect the pathogenesis severe acute syndrome (SARS) Middle East (MERS). The interplay between SARS-CoV-2 these cell types remains unknown. We investigated infection host responses monocyte-derived dendritic (moDCs) (MDMs) infected by...
Wildtype mice are not susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Emerging variants, including B.1.1.7, B.1.351, P.1, and P.3, contain mutations in spike that has been suggested associate with an increased recognition of mouse ACE2, raising the postulation these variants may have evolved expand species tropism wildtype potentially other murines. Our study evaluated this possibility substantial public health importance.
Abstract Understanding the factors that contribute to efficient SARS-CoV-2 infection of human cells may provide insights on transmissibility and pathogenesis, reveal targets intervention. Here, we analyze host viral determinants essential for in both lung epithelial ex vivo tissues. We identify heparan sulfate as an important attachment factor infection. Next, show sialic acids present ACE2 prevent spike/ACE2-interaction. While SARS-CoV is substantially limited by acid-mediated restriction...
SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529.1 (Omicron BA.1) emerged in November 2021 and quickly became the predominant circulating variant globally. Omicron BA.1 contains more than 30 mutations spike protein, which contribute to its altered virological features when compared ancestral or previous variants. Recent studies by us others demonstrated that is less dependent on transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), efficient cleavage, fusogenic, adopts an propensity utilize plasma membrane endosomal pathways for...
Infection by highly pathogenic coronaviruses results in substantial apoptosis. However, the physiological relevance of apoptosis pathogenesis coronavirus infections is unknown. Here, with a combination vitro, ex vivo, and vivo models, we demonstrated that protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum (PERK) signaling mediated proapoptotic signals Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) infection, which converged intrinsic pathway. Inhibiting PERK or both alleviated MERS vivo. Severe acute...
SARS-CoV-2 has been confirmed in over 450 million cases since 2019. Although several vaccines have certified by the WHO and people are being vaccinated on a global scale, it reported that multiple variants can escape neutralization antibodies, resulting vaccine breakthrough infections. Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is known to induce heterologous protection based trained immune responses. Here, we investigated whether BCG-induced immunity protected against K18-hACE2 mouse model. Our data...
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron BA.2 was a dominant circulating SARS-CoV-2 variant worldwide. Recent reports hint that is similarly potent regarding antibody evasion but may be more transmissible than BA.1. The pathogenicity of remains unclear and critical public health significance. Here we investigated the virological features with in vitro vivo models. We show less dependent on transmembrane protease serine (TMPRSS2) for virus entry comparison BA.1...
Among the Omicron sublineages that have emerged, BA.1, BA.2, BA.5, and their related resulted in largest number of infections. While recent studies demonstrated all robustly escape neutralizing antibody response, it remains unclear on whether these share any pattern evolutionary trajectory replication efficiency intrinsic pathogenicity along respiratory tract.We compared virological features, capacity dominant BA.2 BA.5 human nasal epithelium, characterized K18-hACE2, A129, young C57BL/6,...
Successful severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection requires proteolytic cleavage of the viral spike protein. While role host transmembrane protease serine in SARS-CoV-2 is widely recognized, involvement other proteases capable facilitating entry remains incompletely explored. Here, we show that multiple members from membrane-type matrix metalloproteinase (MT-MMP) and a disintegrin families can mediate entry. Inhibition MT-MMPs significantly reduces replication...
Abstract The current SARS-CoV-2 variants strikingly evade all authorized monoclonal antibodies and threaten the efficacy of serum-neutralizing activity elicited by vaccination or prior infection, urging need to develop antivirals against related sarbecoviruses. Here, we identified both potent broadly neutralizing from a five-dose vaccinated donor who exhibited cross-reactive diverse coronaviruses. Through single B-cell sorting sequencing followed tailor-made computational pipeline,...
SARS-CoV-2 JN.1 with an additional L455S mutation on spike when compared its parental variant BA.2.86 has outcompeted all earlier variants to become the dominant circulating variant. Recent studies investigated immune resistance of but factors are speculated contribute global dominance, which remain elusive until today. Here, we find that a higher infectivity than in differentiated primary human nasal epithelial cells (hNECs). Mechanistically, demonstrate gained over associates increased...
Besides prominent respiratory involvement, gastrointestinal manifestations are commonly reported in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. We compared infection of ex vivo human intestinal tissues by SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV with respect to their replication kinetics immune activation profile.Human were obtained from patients while undergoing surgical operations at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong. Upon removal, the immediately processed infected or SARS-CoV. Replication determined...
ObjectivesRespiratory and intestinal tract are two primary target organs of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, detailed characterization the host-virus interplay in infected human lung epithelial cells is lacking.MethodsWe utilized immunofluorescence assays, flow cytometry, RT-qPCR to delineate virological features innate immune response host against infection prototype cell lines representing (Calu3) (Caco2) epithelium when compared with SARS-CoV.ResultsLung were significantly more susceptible...
Abstract Autophagy, a critical process for the vacuolar degradation of proteins and organelles, is governed by multiple conserved autophagy-related (ATG) proteins. The central component ATG machinery ubiquitin-like protein ATG8, which essential steps autophagy process, including phagophore expansion, autophagosome closure, trafficking fusion with lysosome/vacuole, selective cargo recruitment. Currently, our understanding roles ATG8 in plant functional specialization family members limited...
Foodborne disease outbreaks (FBDOs) pose a significant threat to public health globally, leading substantial morbidity, mortality, and economic losses. However, the underlying causes impacts of FBDOs often remain underexplored in specific regions, limiting effectiveness targeted prevention strategies. This study aimed investigate epidemiological characteristics, causes, burden Jinhua city, Zhejiang province, China, between 2018 2022. Data were collected from national surveillance system,...
Earlier Omicron subvariants including BA.1, BA.2, and BA.5 emerged in waves, with a subvariant replacing the previous one every few months. More recently, post-BA.2/5 have acquired convergent substitutions spike that facilitated their escape from humoral immunity gained ACE2 binding capacity. However, intrinsic pathogenicity replication fitness of evaluated are not fully understood.
Abstract Background The effect of low environmental temperature on viral shedding and disease severity Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is uncertain. Methods We investigated the virological, clinical, pathological, immunological changes in hamsters housed at room (21°C), (12–15°C), high (30–33°C) after challenge by 105 plaque-forming units severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Results nasal turbinate, trachea, lung load live virus titer were significantly higher...
Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging mosquito-borne flavivirus that poses significant threats to global public health. Macrophages and dendritic cells are both key sentinel in the host immune response play critical roles pathogenesis of infections. Recent studies showed ZIKV could productively infect monocyte-derived (moDCs), but role macrophages infection remains incompletely understood. In this study, we first compared (MDMs) moDCs derived from same donors. We demonstrated while MDMs were...
Abstract Interferons (IFNs) are critical for immune defense against pathogens. While type‐I and ‐III IFNs have been reported to inhibit SARS‐CoV‐2 replication, the antiviral effect mechanism of type‐II IFN remain largely unknown. Here, we evaluate activity (IFNγ) using human lung epithelial cells (Calu3) ex vivo tissues. In this study, found that IFNγ suppresses replication in both Calu3 Moreover, treatment does not significantly modulate expression entry‐related factors induces a similar...
Abstract Mapping mutations and discovering cellular determinants that cause the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to induce infected cells form syncytia would facilitate development strategies for blocking formation such cell–cell fusion. Here we describe high-throughput screening methods based on droplet microfluidics size-exclusion selection syncytia, coupled with large-scale mutagenesis genome-wide knockout via clustered regularly interspaced...