COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) Initiatives
COVID-19 is a global pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.
As of May 2022 there were nearly 1 million COVID-19-related deaths in the US and 6.2 million deaths worldwide. Clinical evidence, albeit some being anecdotal, suggests that the eyes may be vulnerable to the infection of SARS-CoV-2. In order to assess the risk of COVID-19 transmission via transplantation, Lions Gift of Sight engaged in vigorous research efforts to study the infection of SARS-CoV-2 in donor eye tissues with the support from Minnesota Lions Clubs and the Eye Bank Association of America.
Lions Gift of Sight collected COVID-19 positive corneas recovered by several U.S. eye banks to study the genetic variation and evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the pandemic.
Our findings can be summarized as follows:
- Cells on the ocular surface indeed express cell-entry receptors required for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The immunostaining results are shown in Figure 1.
- Donor corneas as well as the ocular cells support SARS-CoV-2 viral tropism based on our in vitro viral infection study. Figure 2.
- SARS-CoV-2 retains its infectivity up to 14 days when stored with the donor corneas under the preservation condition used by eye banks in the US. Figure 3.
Our findings confirm that the transmission of COVID-19 on donor corneal tissues is a legitimate concern. Remedial measures such as across-the-board testings and / or effective disinfectants are necessary to ensure the donor tissue safety.
Dr. Hou
