Credit: Stony Brook University The News in Brief: SARS-CoV-2 likely activates endothelial cell responses in patients which contributes to serious lung symptoms, vascular obstruction and respiratory distress with Covid-19. A study shows that endothelial cells which line capillaries lack ACE2 receptors for SARS-CoV-2 attachment and suggests that SARS-CoV-2 indirectly activates endothelial cell linked disease mechanisms that direct coagulation and inflammation associated with severe Covid-19 disease. As a result, endothelial cell activation and SARS-CoV-2 induced endothelial cell responses may be potential therapeutic targets to help resolve Covid-19 disease. STONY BROOK, NY, December 14, 2020 - For Covid-19 patients with serious lung disease, targeting endothelial cells -cells that comprise the blood vessel wall which regulate oxygen exchange between airways and the bloodstream- may be a novel approach restoring normal lung function. This hypothesis stems from a study by researchers in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University and published in