A novel decoy protein designed by Northwestern Medicine scientists fools SARS-CoV-2 by intercepting the spike of the coronavirus and rendering it impotent. The novel protein significantly reduced lung damage and resulted in only mild symptoms in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2, while untreated animals in this model all succumbed to the infection. "We envision this soluble ACE2 protein will attenuate the entry of coronavirus into cells in the body mainly in the respiratory system and, consequently, the serious symptoms seen in severe COVID 19," said lead investigator Dr. Daniel Batlle, a professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine...