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COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 Novel Coronavirus Disease Research Products

SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) is the causing agent of coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020. At the time this webpage is being updated (4/11/2020), more than half million COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the US, and about 20,000 patients died from the disease. Worldwide, more than 1.7 million cases have been reported in more than 200 countries. It is reported that most people infected with SARS-CoV-2 are asymptomatic or only develop mild flu-like symptoms. Comparted to SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 is milder but more infectious, making it very hard to stop the spreading of the virus. Social distancing has been proved effective in slowing down virus spread, but it poses tremendous burden on economy and people’s mental health. It is generally accepted by the science community that this virus may stay and never be fully eradicated like SARS-CoV, and thus it is essential to develop therapeutic and preventive agents to contain this disease to a level that the society can function normally.

SPEED Biosystems has developed a set of SARS-CoV-2 related products and made them available to the science community for research and development of diagnosis, detection and treatment methods against the virus.

COVID-19 VLP Vaccine

Based on the nature of SARS-CoV-2, it is generally believed by the science community that the pandemic will not stop until over 60% of population have established immunity against the virus (herd immunity), either by active vaccination or by passive infection. Availability of effective vaccines is pivotal to establishment of herd immunity. Currently, vaccines are being developed using all kinds of available technology platforms, including nucleic acid (DNA and RNA), virus-like particle (VLP), peptide, viral vector (replicating and non-replicating), recombinant protein, live attenuated virus and inactivated virus approaches. Each technology has its own advantages and disadvantages, with no guarantee that one will work better than the other.

SPEED Biosystems has developed a vaccine candidate using virus-like particle (VLP) technology. While the VLP is being evaluated in animals with ultimate goal for FDA approval, we also make the VLP available to the science community for Research Use Only.

COVID-19 Diagnosis/Detection

(1) Nucleic acid detection

SARS-CoV-2 is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus. The RNA contained in the virus can be detected using reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The method is highly sensitive, serving as the main method for confirmation of COVID-19 cases.

SPEED Biosystems provides a COVID-19 Real-Time qPCR Test Kit developed by Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). The kit has been approved for IVD use in Singapore. The kit is in the process of acquiring approval by FDA for use as IVD in the US. Before official approval, the kit is marketed as Research Use Only (RUO).

(2) Antibody detection

Nucleic acid detection using RT-qPCR can only detect presence of virus. It yields negative result when the patient has actually been infected with the virus but recovered. Patients that has a history of infection develop antibodies against the virus and are generally immune to further infection. Detection of antibodies against the virus in the population is very important in estimating herd immunity and determining if a community is ready to return to normal.

SPEED Biosystems offers several antibody detections kits. The products will be loaded on our website soon.

Recombinant Proteins for COVID-19 Research

SPEED Biosystems have a collection of recombinant SARS-CoV-2 virus proteins, including S protein (spike or surface protein), S protein S1 subunit, S protein S2 subunit, N protein (nucleocapsid protein), M protein (membrane protein) and E protein (envelope protein), as well as ACE2 protein, the receptor for SARS-CoV-2. Those reagents are powerful tools for research of SARS-CoV-2’s molecular mechanisms.

Transfection reagent for COVID-19 Research

Many of the R&D activities on COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 involves introducing DNA vectors into mammalian cells, especially HEK293 cells, in large scale. For example, transfecting adenovirus vector DNA containing SARS-CoV-2 S protein gene into HEK293 cells to produce COVID-19 vaccines; transfecting SARS-CoV-2 structure proteins genes into HEK293 cells to produce virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines; transfecting SARS-CoV-2 S protein gene into HEK293 cells to make S protein trimer vaccine; expressing SARS-CoV-2 structural and nonstructural proteins to solve 3-dimentional crystal structure information to facilitate drug development, etc.

SPEED Biosystems’ “Turbo293™ Transfection Reagent” is one of the most efficient HEK293 transfection reagents on the market. It has been used by numerous labs to introduce DNA vectors into HEK293 cells in large scale.