Common rotavirus vaccine might be key to protecting children against COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues its global spread, vaccine development is on everyone’s mind. Indiana University’s John Patton is no exception.

Patton, an associate professor of biology and Blatt Chair of Virology in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington, has been studying viruses for more than 30 years. His main focus has been on rotavirus. As many parents know, rotavirus can infect infants and young children, causing nausea and diarrhea. Today, most infants in the United States receive a rotavirus vaccine, meaning over the last 20 years or so, “rotavirus as the main cause of sending young kids to the hospital has disappeared,” Patton said.

A story about Patton and his work that might protect children against coronavirus is on the IU Office of the Vice President for Research website. The IU Innovation and Commercialization Office has filed a provisional patent application on Patton’s idea for a COVID-19 vaccine.