A research team led by Jae Jung, Ph.D., Director of Cleveland Clinic's Global Center for Pathogen & Human Health Research, has uncovered the critical role a viral gene, ORF8, plays in infection and disease outcomes of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19.

The study, published in mBio, provides a greater understanding of molecular mechanisms that can accelerate immune cell activation and could suggest treatments for patients with COVID-19. This is the first published study using samples from the COVID-19 registry of the Cleveland Clinic BioRepository.

"Understanding human health and disease requires studying human biological samples and knowledge of the clinical situation surrounding the disease," said Lara Jehi, MD, Chief Research Information Officer, Cleveland Clinic. "By aligning research with clinical care, the BioRepository provides an innovative and efficient way to bridge data and samples at a scale that can only be accomplished by a large research-based academic medical center like Cleveland Clinic."

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