COVID-19-Related Products

Coronavirus research tools and reagents 

COVID-19 has spread rapidly around the world causing a pandemic that threatens global public health. InvivoGen offers a number of associated products for COVID-19 research, and its causative agent SARS-CoV-2. These include type I IFN inducers and inhibitors for studying viral entry and the subsequent host immune response. Additionally, we provide tools for the production of Fc-fusion proteins and neutralizing antibodies as well as vaccine adjuvants, for studying and developing novel SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics and vaccines.

 

Type I IFN inducers

Type I interferons (IFNα/β) are the prototypical antiviral cytokines. Inducers of these cytokines can be used to study the innate immune response to SARS-CoV-2. Such inducers include the following:

• Poly(I:C): TLR3 agonist
• 3p-hpRNA: RIG-I agonist

JAK/STAT signaling inhibitors

Activation of the JAK/STAT pathway by type I IFNs amplifies their action through the production of a plethora of IFN-stimulated genes. However, in the case of COVID-19, it can lead to hyper-inflammation and ultimately to a cytokine storm. JAK/STAT Inhibitors are currently under investigation to treat COVID-19 associated cytokine storm, including the following:

• Ruxolitinib: JAK1/2 inhibitor

Endosomal acidification inhibitors

Coronaviruses, such as SARS-CoV and presumably SARS-CoV-2, enter and traffic through the host cell in endosomes. Targeting endosomal acidification is one of the strategies to limit SARS-CoV-2 infection. It can be achieved using the following molecules:

• Chloroquine: Endosomal acidification inhibitor
• Bafilomycin A1: Vacuolar proton pump inhibitor

Fc-fusion

Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 antigens, such as the Spike or Nucleocapsid protein, are used for the isolation of target-specific neutralizing antibodies. Fusing these antigens to the human IgG1 Fc region facilitates their purification. InvivoGen provides a series of plasmids for the expression and production of Fc fusion proteins:

• pFUSE-Fc plasmids: Cloning vectors for the generation of Fc-Fusion proteins

Antibody generation

SARS-Cov-2 recombinant neutralizing antibodies represent a promising approach to treat COVID-19. InvivoGen offers two families of plasmids for the generation of antibodies:

• pFUSE: Cloning vectors for the production of the light and heavy chains of an antibody
• pTRIOZ: Single plasmids for high-yield production of whole antibodies

Vaccine adjuvants

A number of different strategies are being explored for the development of a successful vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, most of them requiring the addition of an adjuvant to potentiate the efficacy and safety of the vaccine. InvivoGen offers:

• Alum, emulsions, and PRR agonists: Large vaccine adjuvant collection