Human nose model reveals first steps of SARS-CoV-2 and RSV infection

Using nasal organoids that mimic the complex interactions between human cells and viruses, the team showed the relationship between infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 and infection with respiratory syncytial virus, a major pediatric respiratory virus.

The model has also proven to be a useful tool for testing the effectiveness of treatments such as palivizumab, an FDA-approved monoclonal antibody, to prevent severe RSV disease in high-risk infants

"In the case of respiratory viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2 and RSV, infection begins when people inhale the virus," said corresponding author Pedro Piedra, PhD, professor of molecular virology, microbiology, pediatrics, pharmacology and chemical biology at Baylor University.

The epithelial cells on the inside of the nose are exposed to the air on one side and the circulatory system on the other

"Our three-dimensional organoid system replicates this natural situation in the laboratory using nasal epithelium collected from nasal swabs," explained first author Anubama Rajan, PhD, a postdoctoral associate in Piedra's lab

To study the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 or RSV and the nasal epithelium, the researchers simulated natural infection by placing each virus individually on the air side of a culture plate and studied the changes that occurred on nasal organoids

"We observed distinct responses to SARS-CoV-2 and RSV infection," said co-author Vasanthi Avadhanula, PhD, assistant professor of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor University

The team also used a human nasal organoid model of RSV infection to test the effectiveness of palivizumab

"In our model, palivizumab effectively prevented RSV infection in a concentration-dependent manner," Avadhanula said

In this study, the team describes for the first time a non-invasive, reproducible and reliable method to create human nose organoids, allowing long-term studies

Another benefit of using this novel human nose organoid system is that it can reveal how the initial control of a person's infection occurs and provide insights into how one person is more susceptible to the virus than another

Anubama Rajan, Ashley Morgan Weaver, Gina Marie Aloisio, Joseph Jelinski, Hannah L.