Bio-Tech 8

Submitted by: Kaier Jian J. Costanilla -8 Descartes

Top Covid-19 innovations in biotechnology and pharmacology
More Rapid and Sensitive Point-of-care Testing

This novel digital droplet PCR screening test developed by researchers at the University of
Notre Dame has better sensitivity than the current nasopharyngeal swabs and saliva sample
techniques, removing the need for heavy and expensive equipment and allowing for rapid visual
or smartphone detection of COVID-19 at the point of care.

A New Vector for Single-dose Vaccines

A widespread vaccine programmed with high uptake levels is essential for navigating through
the COVID-19 pandemic. A team at Emory University are currently evaluating an alternative
coronavirus vaccination method using poxvirus vectors to create a single-dose vaccine which has
already been shown to be effective in protecting animals from infection by SARS-CoV-2.

Unfortunately, this technology is no longer available for collaboration, but there is a

similar innovation on IN-PART from researchers at the Max Planck Society: First in Class
“Semi-Live” RNA Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, RSV and other Respiratory Viruses

Looking to Nature for New Antivirals

Despite vaccines being rolled out globally, the COVID-19 virus and future mutations of it will
continue to circulate. A research team at the University of Nottingham have identified a
naturally occurring antiviral molecule that induces an immune response against multiple viruses
including SARS-CoV2 and influenza that can be easily administered via an oral agent.

Unfortunately, this technology is no longer available for collaboration, but there is a

similar innovation on IN-PART from researchers at the University of British
Columbia: Novel SARS-CoV-2 Therapeutic

Rapid Discovery of New Antibody Therapies

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a rapid antibody discovery

platform that can identify new antibodies which defend against viruses including SARS-CoV-2.
The focus of the discovery platform is to find antibodies that are highly stable and soluble,
making them ideal for use in easy-to-formulate therapeutic treatments and mitigating future
outbreaks.

Identifying Cell-compatible Drugs Against SARS-CoV-2

In response to the need for rapidly identifying effective therapeutics for treating COVID-19, this
molecular probe developed by scientists at the University of Konstanz speeds up the process of
drug screening to identify competitive inhibitors that exist within living cells, a tool which can
also be used to identify antiviral agents for other pathogens.
Accounting for Future Mutations Across the Globe

The pandemic has had a global impact, and so scientists working at the Children’s Hospital of
Philadelphia have proposed a vaccine development strategy that uses computational modelling
to identify peptide sequences that would elicit immune responses and account for future virus
mutations across the entire human population.

Potential Pan-coronavirus Inhibitors

Informed by computational modelling, researchers at Yale University have designed a set of

new protease inhibitors, a type of antiretroviral drug that is effective against SARS-CoV-2 and
suitable for use as an early-stage therapeutic, reducing the severity of infection and ideal for
combination therapy with other drugs.

Mimicking the Cytokine Storm to Screen New Therapeutics

Cases of severe COVID-19 are often characterized by a cytokine storm, an immune reaction that
causes hyper-inflammation leading to lung injuries. Researchers at the University of
Huddersfield have developed a screening assay that mimics the COVID-19 cytokine storm to
evaluate new or repurposed therapeutics and natural products with fewer side effects that could
reduce this damaging immune response.

Clear Visibility for COVID-19 Diagnostics

Scientists at The University of the Western Cape have developed a low-cost, rapid point-of-
care diagnostic that visibly shifts from red to blue in the presence of COVID-19 proteins,
accelerating the testing process by reducing the need for trained personnel and the transport of
samples.

An Alternative Vaccine Strategy Avoiding Mutation Hotspots

With growing concern surrounding the mutated versions of SARS-CoV-2, the long-term
immunity offered by available vaccines has come into question. In response to this, a spin-out
project from Lund University have proposed a highly efficient alternative vaccine strategy by
using a fusion protein with a version of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein, one of the
proteins making up the shell of the virus, and antigens that can be recognized by our T cells, to
complement existing vaccines and encourage long term cell-mediated T cell immunity.
Producing Next-generation Spike Proteins

A significant amount of the research and drug development that address the SARS-CoV-2 virus
centers on the spike protein structures found on the virus surface that bind to human cells to
infect them. La Jolla Institute for Immunology researchers have developed a method to
produce stable and authentic next-generation spike proteins, providing a promising new tool for
research reagents and diagnostics, as well as developing vaccines that help our cells recognize
the spike protein as a foreign cell.

Unfortunately, this technology is no longer available for collaboration, but there is a

similar innovation on IN-PART from researchers at the University of Minnesota: SARS-
CoV-2 Spike Receptor-binding Domain for Use in COVID-19 Assays

Taking Clues from Antibodies to Understand the Immune Response to

COVID-19

Understanding how we retain immunity to COVID-19 through our antibodies is a key part of
designing effective treatments and vaccines. Scientists at the Albert Einstein College of
Medicine have developed diagnostic assays that can confirm an individual’s exposure and levels
of immune response to SARS-CoV-2, as well as tests to screen new antivirals and vaccines
through detection of neutralizing antibodies.
Live Cell Assay for Screening New COVID-19 Therapeutics

Researchers at the Qatar Foundation have developed a live cell-based assay that identifies
critical enzyme activity for cell replication that can be used in drug discovery to accurately
identify significant COVID-19 therapeutics for current and future pandemics.

Unfortunately, this technology is no longer available for collaboration, but there is a

similar innovation on IN-PART from researchers at the University of Arizona: Discovery
of Non-Covalent Inhibitors Targeting the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease

Plant-derived Anti-viral Supplement

A plant-based antiviral developed by researchers from North Carolina State University can be
taken regularly in tablet or liquid dietary supplement products to prevent and treat COVID-19
and other viral infections at home.
Immunogens for Virus Detection and Temperature-stable Vaccines

Penn State University researchers have engineered a suite of molecules called immunogens that
accurately bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins and elicit an immune response with spike
protein binding activity. The engineered molecules are suitable for large-scale production and
could have many applications including improved virus detection tests and temperature-stable
vaccines that are easier to store.

Technologies written by Jake Mitchell (1, 3, 5), Steph Faulkner (2, 7), Sarah Firth (6), Ruth Kirk
(4, 8, 12), Frances Wilkinson (9, 13, 14), Kiran Raja (10) and Chris Banyard (11, 15).

Edited by Ruth Kirk. Formatting by Frances Wilkinson.

Copyrights reserved unless otherwise agreed – IN-PART Publishing Ltd., 2021: ‘Top 15
Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical COVID-19 Innovations’