Scientists Create Coronavirus Clone In Lab To Find COVID-19 Cure

Researchers are rushing full speed ahead to create a cure for the novel coronavirus. We¡¯re already seeing vaccine makers rushing to give us the silver bullet to cure COVID-19.

However, there are several mysteries that still remain that other researchers are trying to decode.

Representational Image: Reuters

Most researchers, however, are unable to do so as working with COVID-19 since the virus is so dangerous, it requires a high-level biosafety condition, requiring scientists handling COVID-19 wear full-body biohazard suits with specialised ventilation systems. Most labs don¡¯t have access to such equipment and this only limits humanity to learn more about the deadly coronavirus.

However, researchers have found a fix for that. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a hybrid virus that mimics COVID-19 causing coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which will help scientists study COVID-19 but not be as dangerous as to require a high biosafety level facility.

Researchers took a vesicular stomatitis virus -- commonly found in cattle, horses and pig and causes flu-like illness for 3 to 5 days -- and removed the surface protein gene on it with one from SARS-CoV-2 called 'spike'. This basically enabled the newly created virus to attack cells in a similar fashion as SARS-CoV-2 but it isn¡¯t loaded with necessary genetics to cause the disease. This new hybrid has been named VSV-SARS-CoV-2.

The new virus is also recognised by antibodies, just like the COVID-19 causing coronavirus. The antibodies that proved beneficial against the hybrid virus also proved beneficial against the real deal.

Representational Image: DPA

Sean Whelan, PhD, the Marvin A. Brennecke Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of Molecular Microbiology explained, ¡°Humans certainly develop antibodies against other SARS-CoV-2 proteins, but it¡¯s the antibodies against spike that seem to be most important for protection. So as long as a virus has the spike protein, it looks to the human immune system like SARS-CoV-2, for all intents and purposes.¡±

He added, ¡°With this surrogate virus, you can take serum, plasma or antibodies and do high-throughput analyses at BSL-2 levels, which every lab has, without a risk of getting infected. And we know that it correlates almost perfectly with the data we get from bona fide infectious SARS-CoV-2.¡±