RetroVirox Launches Coronavirus Assays for the Evaluation of COVID-19 Vaccines and Therapeutics
RetroVirox Launches Coronavirus Assays for the Evaluation of COVID-19 Vaccines and Therapeutics
March 17, 2020
Due to large demand by our Customers, RetroVirox has launched a menu of cell-based antiviral services to evaluate experimental therapies and vaccines against coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Starting today the company will offer in vitro testing with SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses to evaluate entry inhibitors against the novel coronavirus causative agent of COVID-19. The pseudovirus assay utilizes HIV pseudoviruses coated with the viral spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2. The assay recapitulates the mode of entry of the novel coronavirus and it can be used for the following purposes:
•To determine the neutralizing activity of therapeutic antibodies
•To test experimental COVID-19 vaccines using antisera from inoculated animals or humans
•To evaluate small-molecule entry inhibitors targeting the S viral protein, the ACE-2 viral receptor, or host proteases and other targets involved in SARS-CoV-2 viral entry
The pseudovirus assay will be an invaluable resource complementing the ongoing company’s efforts to test entry inhibitors against highly-pathogenic viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, Lassa, and H5N1 avian influenza.
RetroVirox is also launching an in vitro assay against several milder forms of seasonal human coronaviruses (hCoV), including the betacoronavirus strain OC43, and the alphacoronavirus strain 229E. These assays will use prevention of the virus-induced cytopathic effect (CPE) as a readout. Many of the experimental and repurposed drugs with activity against SARS-CoV-2 (a betacoronavirus) also display activity against seasonal hCoVs. Our assay with OC43 hCoV reveals coronavirus inhibitors at most stages of the virus life cycle, including entry, and viral replication. In this assay, the replication of OC43 is blocked by remdesivir and chloroquine, two drugs with demonstrated antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. Our hCoVs assay can be used as a preliminary screen of experimental therapies against the novel coronavirus.
Both assays, the SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus, and the hCoV assays, are amenable for the screening of several thousand molecules per week. In addition, the company anticipates it will soon add to its menu a cell-based assay against the live infectious SARS-CoV-2. We anticipate this assay will be offered to our Customers in 3-4 weeks. Stay tuned and visit the coronavirus services page to see when new coronavirus assays become available.