On Apr. 2, 2020, an international team led by University of British Columbia (UBC) researcher Dr. Josef Penninger announced they had found a trial drug that effectively blocked the cellular door SARS-CoV-2 uses to infect its hosts.

The findings, published in Cell, hold promise as a treatment capable of stopping early infection of the novel coronavirus that, as of April 2, had affected more than 981,000 people and claimed the lives of 50,000 people worldwide.

The study provides new insights into key aspects of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and its interactions on a cellular level, as well as how the virus can infect blood vessels and kidneys.