A new study by researchers from the United States, Spain and Japan investigated the direct effect of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein on platelet morphology. For the first time, the researchers directly visualized the binding of the S-protein to the platelet plasma membrane. The S-protein is crucial for understanding the molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

This early research looks at what happens when cells within the small blood vessels of the heart are exposed to high levels of the spike protein in a laboratory setting. It could help to start to explain some of the effects of severe Covid-19 infection, where levels of the virus are particularly high.