# Resolving SARS-Cov-2 tropism and COVID19 pathology in the brain

> **NIH NIH R01** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2020 · $339,000

## Abstract

SUMMARY
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome
coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has emerged as a global pandemic, causing overwhelming
morbidity and mortality. While the main manifestations of COVID19 relate to problems with
respiration, emerging studies recognize the presence of neurological complications in a number
of patients, so far primarily related to cerebrovascular disease as reported by our group and
others. Urgent high-resolution molecular studies are needed to understand better how the
SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus targets the brain and whether its effects on the cerebral vasculature
are through direct infection, secondary systemic coagulopathy, or a combination of both, which
carries specific implications for future risk stratification and treatment in vulnerable individuals.
The purpose of this one-year supplement is to urgently elucidate the cell-type specific tropism of
the SARS-CoV-2 virus in primary COVID19 autopsy brain tissue using complementary single
cell transcriptomic and histological analysis tools already established by our team, and to
elucidate further the cellular and molecular associations between viral infectivity, co-expression
of ACE2 and other putative viral receptor targets, and central nervous system pathology related
to cerebrovascular disease, other pathophysiological manifestations of COVID19, and pre-
existent co-morbidities. A better understanding of COVID19 pathophysiology in the brain
through this and other studies will inform clinicians of more effective and personalized treatment
protocols for patients infected with SARS-Cov-2 who may be predisposed to having neurological
complications.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10170946
- **Project number:** 3R01NS106229-02S2
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** Nadejda Mincheva Tsankova
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $339,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-01-01 → 2023-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10170946

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10170946, Resolving SARS-Cov-2 tropism and COVID19 pathology in the brain (3R01NS106229-02S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10170946. Licensed CC0.

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