With particular relevance to the COVID-19 pandemic, Josef Penninger will present how work on ACE2 and its role in lung failure, from the discovery in fly heart development to the first mutant mice and a fundamental understanding of SARS Coronavirus. This data provided the first molecular underpinning why the first SARS-CoV and now SARS-CoV2 causing COVID-19 became „dangerous viruses“. ACE2 is the critical receptor for SARS-Cov-2 and has taken center stage in global research and drug and vaccine development. This work has also been translated into ACE2-based drugs as rational and universal prevention and treatment strategies for COVID-19.