Dr. Joshua Sharp, associate professor of pharmacology and chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Mississippi, will present: "COVID-19 and heparan sulfate: the carbohydrate handle that SARS-CoV-2 uses to grab your cells."

COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has killed over 200,000 Americans in 2020 and changed the way we live our lives. An incredible effort from the scientific community has allowed us to learn a lot about the virus in a very short time. While there are many questions remaining about the disease, we have enough evidence to start answering some important questions. Where do COVID-19 infections usually start in the body? How does SARS-CoV-2 find and enter the target cells? Here, we’ll discuss what we know (and think we know) about how COVID-19 infections get established. We’ll also discuss the discovery and initial development of intranasal heparin, a well-known anti-coagulant injectable that is now in early clinical trials as an intranasal drug to prevent COVID-19. We’ll discuss how heparin works to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection of cells, why it should be safe to administer intranasally, and why it might NOT be useful as a treatment of advanced COVID-19.

When: Tuesday, November 17, 2020, 6pm - 7pm.

Cost: Free!

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