SARS-CoV-2 takes the bait: Exosomes as endogenous decoys

Abstract

Writing in PLOS Biology, Ching and colleagues show that ACE2-decorated exosomes are deployed as natural inhibitory decoys against SARS-CoV-2. High decoy levels correlate with improved patient outcomes, suggesting they directly help COVID-19 recovery and supporting the concept of successful future decoy-based therapies. Here, Fernbach and Hale comment on a new PLOS Biology article that describes how receptor-decorated decoys are an effective feature of the body’s own innate immune arsenal of antiviral weapons against SARS-CoV-2.