Stable Non-infectious Cell Clones that Produce Functional Sars-CoV-2 RNA for Nonstructural Proteins and Accessory Proteins
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Technology Summary
The invention includes stable non-infectious cell clones that produce autonomously replicating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNAs except the Spike (S), Matrix (M), and Envelope (E) genes. These cell clones are useful for screening candidate direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs) and studying the genetic and function aspects of SARS-CoV-2 replication. These cell clones are derived from baby hamster kidney cells (BHK-21 cells). A pair of mutations have been introduced into non-structural protein 1 gene (NSP-1) to ameliorate cellular toxicity associated with viral replication. These clones can be used to screen antivirals and study coronavirus replication in a biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) laboratory.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus causes COVID-19 and is responsible for the recent pandemic. Vaccines have been approved to prevent COVID-19, but there remains a need for effective antivirals to treat COVID-19. This cell-based system is an improvement over currently known cell-based systems that replicate SARS-CoV-2 RNA because it is self-replicating and viral RNA replication is not toxic to the host-cell. This cell clone can be maintained in culture and does not need to be produced prior to experiments. Additionally, the stability of this clone permits screening over longer time periods.
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Development Stage: Proof-of-concept for screening compounds, Research Tool
Inventors: Tony T. Wang, Shufeng Liu
Publications: Liu S, Chou C, Wu WW, Luan B, Wang TT, Stable Cell Clones Harboring Self-Replicating SARS-CoV-2 RNAs for Drug Screen. J Virol. 2022 Mar 23;96(6):e0221621. doi: 10.1128/jvi.02216-21. Epub 2022 Jan 26.
Intellectual Property:
U.S. provisional application 63/275,251 was filed November 3, 2021
PCT application PCT/US2022/078969 was filed October 31, 2022
Product Area: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Antiviral Drugs, Screening
FDA Reference No: E-2021-017
Licensing Contact:
FDA Technology Transfer Program
Email: FDAInventionlicensing@fda.hhs.gov