This Episode's Science Round Up:

• COVID Drugs Cause Heart Abnormalities – Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin have been considered possible drugs for COVID-19, but patients treated with the drugs had prolonged QT intervals that can lead to arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.
• Monkeys Protected by COVID-19 Vaccine – For the first time, a COVID-19 vaccine candidate has protected rhesus macaques from being infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
• New, Rapid COVID-19 Test – A new diagnostic test for COVID-19 has been established that uses CRISPR-Cas12 to identify the SARS-CoV-2 virus in samples in less than 40 minutes.
• SARS-CoV-2 Mapped Out – Investigators have generated a high-resolution map of the SARS-CoV-2 transcriptome and epitranscriptome, gaining insights into unknown RNA transcripts and RNA modification sites.
• Cell Likely Targeted by the COVID-19 Virus – Researchers have uncovered subsets of cells in the lung, the nasal passages, and the intestine that co-express ACE2 and TMPRSS2, which promote cellular entry of SARS-CoV-2.
• Nose Cells Identified as Likely COVID-19 Virus Entry Point – High expression levels of two viral entry-associated genes have been found in nasal epithelial cells, highlighting the cells’ potential role in initial viral infection.
• Heart Model for COVID-19 Infection – To study cardiomyocyte-specific infection by SARS-CoV-2, scientists have developed a model system using iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes that is susceptible to infection and expresses low levels of ACE2.