Importantly, using a clinical-relevant dosing strategy in the alveolus chips (i.e., by perfusing them with drugs at their clinical Cmax), we found that administration of RAGE inhibitor drugs, such as azeliragon and FPS-ZM1, inhibit viral-induced secretion of inflammatory cytokines when used alone and these effects are amplified when azeliragon is administered therapeutically (2 hours after infection) in combination with the antiviral drug molnupiravir. The gene discussed is AGER; the disease is infection.