Research and development of vaccines and drugs including evaluating the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine Researchers had to work on high-risk isolation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from domestic patient secretions. and increase the amount of this type of virus that spreads quickly and severely in biosafety laboratories Level 3 (BSL3), which Thailand has not many This made the operation difficult and delayed. This directly affects the development of drugs and vaccines to keep up with the epidemic. and preparedness to deal with viruses that have mutations all the time
Dr. Anan Chongkaewwatana Director of Animal Health and Management Innovation Research Group National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (Biotech) National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) said that in order for Thailand to cope with the outbreak of COVID-19 effectively The research team has applied their expertise in developing a ‘Pseudotyped Virus’ or ‘surrogate virus’ that has the same infectious mechanism of infecting cells as a real virus. but through the adjustment of properties that do not cause harm to humans This is a technology recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) for its effectiveness and safety. Including being widely used at present, it was successfully developed for the first time in Thailand. The technology developed by the research team can be used to produce a virus that is responsible for the virus that causes COVID-19 from all strains of the genetic code.
surrogate virus It is a technology created to mimic the COVID-19 virus. As is known, SARS-CoV-2 uses proteins in the spines to capture and enter cells. The research team then placed the viral spike protein SARS-CoV-2 in another virus that was safe and noninvasive. The representative virus has several important features.
The first is It allows researchers to work ‘proactively’ when a mutation in the COVID-19 virus is discovered. Researchers can then use the genetic code to create a surrogate virus for immediate use. It is not necessary to wait for that strain to be infected in the country and then isolate it from the patient.
two is ‘Safe’ surrogate virus does not cause disease A researcher or laboratory staff can therefore use the surrogate virus in the laboratory of a general medical facility.
three is The ‘quick test’ viral viral suppository can clearly show cellular changes within 48 hours, unlike the real virus which takes 5-6 days. In addition, surrogate testing can be performed on up to 90 samples at a time. where the real virus test can only run six samples at a time, four of which are ‘quickly mass-produced’, giving enough viral load to test. This makes it possible to do research more efficiently. and the last one is Up to 20-30 times ‘cost reduction’ in operations
Dr. Anan added that with the hallmarks of the above-mentioned virus agents. Make from now on research and development of vaccines. vaccination regimen including medicines from various viruses of Thailand will be smoother and faster It can also be used to create a virus that is a substitute for the virus that causes COVID-19. A worrying new mutant species in order to prepare for severe outbreaks that may occur in the future
“In the past, Biotech has brought virus representatives to provide research and development of the COVID-19 vaccine in the country, including testing the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine. with domestic injection Testing the COVID-19 vaccination regimen for different groups and testing the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine produced in the country such as the Chula-CoV-19 vaccine, the prescription vaccine and the HXP–GPOVac vaccine.”
This viral surrogate production technology developed by Biotech NSTDA is not only applicable to the development of COVID-19 drugs and vaccines, but also to the production of other viral surrogate agents. including proactive prevention of disease outbreaks from animals to humans It helps Thai researchers to carry out work to support the prevention of the epidemic easily, quickly and efficiently. Build more medical and public health security for Thailand.