SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus Variants
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2
coronavirus , has ravaged the globe, infecting over 450 million people and causing over 6 million deaths as
of early 2022. The recent emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants is a severe concern, especially omicron and delta
variants, as many of these mutations occur within the Spike protein and appear to increase transmissibility and
infectivity. The graphics belo...
SARS-CoV-2 Variants: Evading the Immune System
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus , has ravaged the globe, infecting over 145 million people and causing over 3 million deaths as of the time of this article. Ending the pandemic will require a combination of effective interventions, including therapeutics, diagnostics, and vaccines. Several monoclonal antibody therapeutics have received emergency use authorization, and a number of vaccines have been devel...
Lentiviruses for SARS-CoV-2 Research
To understand the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 cell entry, it is essential to study how Spike proteins interact with the ACE2 receptor. However, such studies are hampered by the danger of producing and manipulating live coronavirus. A safer alternative to using live coronavirus is to use recombinant lentivirus pseudotyped with the coronavirus S protein. The Spike pseudotyped lentivirus includes a luciferase reporter, allowing the monitoring of viral entry into...
