Establishment of a Rapid Response Platform for the production of SARS-CoV-2 VLPs

• Grant number: 24/04024-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: April 01, 2024
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Molecular Genetics and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Soraia Attie Calil Jorge
• Grantee: Leila Sawada
• Host Institution: Instituto Butantan. Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/11946-9 - Technological Innovation Platform for Health Emergencies, AP.CCD

Abstract

The beginning of 2020 witnessed the emergence of the COVID-19 outbreak caused by a novel coronavirus, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Understanding this new virus and developing ways to control its spread is imminent. In this study, we aim to test an established platform for Virus-Like Particle (VLP) production using the baculovirus-based gene expression system. Initially, we propose to express four entire genes of SARS-CoV-2, encoding the Nucleocapsid (N), Envelope (E), Spike (S), and Membrane (M) proteins, each in separate bacmids. This provides us flexibility to test different Multiplicity of Infection (MOI), various combinations, and even combinations with proteins from other Coronaviruses (CoVs), opening the possibility of developing universal CoV VLPs. Additionally, we expect to utilize epitopes from these same proteins for immunogenicity testing. The SARS-CoV-2 VLPs can be studied not only for vaccine production but also for safe biological material production for diagnostic kit development, hyperimmune sera production, and other immunobiologicals. Thus, our studies may provide biological material to guide experimental efforts in the development of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and other CoVs that currently exist or may emerge in the future.