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Lab-made virus infects cells, interacts with antibodies just like SARS-CoV-2:
Airborne and potentially deadly, the virus that causes COVID-19 can only be studied safely under high-level biosafety conditions. Scientists handling the infectious virus must wear full-body biohazard suits with pressurized respirators, and work inside laboratories with multiple containment levels and specialized ventilation systems. While necessary to protect laboratory workers, these safety precautions slow down efforts to find drugs and vaccines for COVID-19 since many scientists lack access to the required biosafety facilities.
To help remedy that, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a hybrid virus that will enable more scientists to enter the fight against the pandemic. The researchers genetically modified a mild virus by swapping one of its genes for one from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The resulting hybrid virus infects cells and is recognized by antibodies just like SARS-CoV-2, but can be handled under ordinary laboratory safety conditions.
The study is available online in Cell Host & Microbe.
I've never had this many requests for a scientific material in such a short period of time. We've distributed the virus to researchers in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Canada and, of course, all over the U.S. We have requests pending from the U.K. and Germany. Even before we published, people heard that we were working on this and started requesting the material."
Sean Whelan, PhD, co-senior author, the Marvin A. Brennecke Distinguished Professor and head of the Department of Molecular Microbiology
[...] Since the hybrid virus looks like SARS-CoV-2 to the immune system but does not cause severe disease, it is a potential vaccine candidate, Diamond added. He, Whelan and colleagues are conducting animal studies to evaluate the possibility.
Journal Reference:
Case, J.B., et al. (2020) Neutralizing antibody and soluble ACE2 inhibition of a replication-competent VSV-SARS-CoV-2 and a clinical isolate of SARS-CoV-2. Cell Host & Microbe. doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2020.06.021.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by RS3 on Saturday July 25 2020, @05:16AM (1 child)
And I think, like nuclear power, somebody somewhere is going to figure out how to do this stuff eventually, so maybe it's best to be on top of it. Or at least the first to admit it.
And maybe hopefully through better understanding of viruses and their mechanism of infection and damage, the research will also lead to more and better antivirals.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by PaperNoodle on Saturday July 25 2020, @11:51PM
>somebody somewhere is going to figure out how to do this stuff eventually, so maybe it's best to be on top of it.
Of course. And like pandoras box it can never be closed. Maybe it's one of the Great Filters for Fermis Paradox. As we create ever more powerful technology so to does the average power of an average person of that society increase. Consider the use of antibiotics in the population and the recent issues of drug resistant bacteria in hospitals. There is nothing to admit other than technology is powerful and power can be miused for good or ill.
We will probably never get away from the international politics of rogue states developing weapons of mass destruction. Which also means we will never get away from potential conflict over those issues. We will never get away from the average person in an advance society utilizing technology in a deleterious manner.
>the research will also lead to more and better antivirals.
There is always a double edge sword. Create a super virus to kill all humans also means creating a super virus to cure all humans of a disease. Take your pick in either case all humans are affected.
B3