Overview
- Peer-reviewed research in Cell Press Blue used lab-grown human nasal organoids that closely mimic the airway lining to study rhinovirus infection.
- Rapid interferon signaling in the nasal epithelium curtailed viral spread in the model, restricting infection to less than 2% of cells.
- Blocking viral sensing or interferon production experimentally enabled widespread infection and caused damage or death of the nasal organoids.
- At higher viral levels a separate sensing pathway triggered excessive mucus and pro-inflammatory signaling associated with congestion and asthma flare-ups.
- Investigators call for in vivo validation and studies of why interferon responses differ between people; with no rhinovirus vaccine, hand washing remains standard prevention.