HJNO May/Jun 2021

40 MAY / JUN 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs athletes, musicians, and business owners. The top forms of media from which people get informa- tion about COVID-19 differed based on age. TV was the top source for individuals overall. Social media, the internet, and friends and family were also top sources for those between 18 and 44. Social media was also a top choice for Black resi- dents and those who indicated they are unwilling to get the vaccine. Humana Foundation Awards Nearly $1M in a Second Year Investment to Kingsley House, Growing Local Food Collaborative The Humana Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) for the past 40 years, announces its second year of investments, totaling nearly $1 million in two local projects in the greater New Orleans area. Kingsley House will receive an investment of $341,000 to fund a program that helps lift families out of gener- ational poverty. Growing Local Food Collabora- tive, a partnership among several organizations, will receive an investment of $600,000 to address food security, as well as financial asset security and post-secondary education and sustaining employment. Louisiana Healthcare Connections, Pro Football Hall of Fame Launching COVID-19 Vaccination Awareness Effort Louisiana Healthcare Connections, Cen- tene Corporation, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame have launched a PSA campaign to edu- cate people across the country about the safety and importance of the COVID-19 vaccine, with a particular focus on communities of color. Louisi- ana Healthcare Connections is engaging Louisi- ana residents to encourage them to receive the COVID-19 vaccine when available and help pre- vent the spread of the virus. The 30-second PSA features Hall of Famer Aeneas Williams, who is from New Orleans and was a star player at South- ern University before playing for the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals in the NFL. The 30-second PSA can be viewed at https:// youtu.be/jS6BYOh6i4A. LSUHealth NO Study Discovers Source of Zika Neurodevelopmental Defects A study led by Edward Wojcik, PhD, associ- ate professor of biochemistry and molecular biol- ogy at LSU Health New Orleans School of Med- icine, identified how microcephaly (abnormally small heads) and blindness may develop in Zika- infected fetuses, as well as a new way to poten- tially prevent these neurodevelopmental defects. The mechanism by which Zika virus disrupts neuronal development and results in congenital Zika syndrome was unknown. Because of similar- ities between Zika syndrome and a recognized congenital genetic disease (Kinesin-5) known to cause microcephaly and retinopathies in develop- ing infants, the research team studied both, look- ing for similarities. They discovered a direct link, the first molecular and cellular evidence support- ing a direct connection between the two. “We had a hunch that the microcephaly and blindness that results from Kinesin-5 genetic dis- ease could be linked to Zika infection, and the hunch paid off,”said Wojcik. “Our experiments identify a molecular motor as a target for degra- dation by an encoded Zika virus protein (Zika pro- tease). The molecular motor is Kinesin-5, and it is required for cell division in humans. Our data identify Kinesin-5 as a target for the virus and links the infection to microcephaly.” The researchers observed that Zika protease cuts Kinesin-5 during cell division, disrupting the process and causing a loss of function. They also suggest a way to prevent it. The Zika protease can degrade only a target protein it can reach. Since the protease is part of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, only target proteins that come in direct contact with the ER can be degraded. In this way, the prote- ase acts in a spatially restricted manner in the cell; target proteins are degraded only in certain regions of the cell volume and not in others. So, the research team proposes a drug that would affect only the Zika protease instead of drugs that would affect all target proteins in a cell. “We predict and hope that potential drugs that inhibit Zika protease may be effective in prevent- ing microcephaly and blindness from developing within Zika-infected fetuses,” Wojcik concluded. The LSU Health New Orleans research team also included Liqiong Liu, Micquel Downs, and Jesse Guidry. The research was supported by funds from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health and LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans. n Access Health Louisiana COVID-19 Vaccination Team