COVID proteins that trigger strokes and heart attacks identified by Israeli team

COVID proteins that trigger strokes and heart attacks identified by Israeli team Discovery, made through ‘peek in virus's black box,’ could lead to therapies that halt havoc wrought on vascular system, say Tel Aviv University scientists timesofisrael

Israeli scientists have identified the virus proteins that are triggering strokes and heart attacks in COVID-19 patients, in a breakthrough they expect will pave the way for new drugs.

The scientists made the discovery by taking a “peek in the virus’s black box,” Dr. Ben Maoz of Tel Aviv University told The Times of Israel, explaining that his team analyzed all 29 proteins of the virus to figure out which of them are wreaking havoc in the vascular system.

“Coronavirus isn’t the purely respiratory disease we first thought, and we have identified the proteins that put patients at increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and other problems associated with the vascular system,” Maoz said. ...