Corona Research: Current Trends and Latest Results

Who is researching corona?

Dr. Peggy Riese, a scientist in the Department of Vaccine Research at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research in Braunschweig, Germany, deals with the special features of the immune system in combination with vaccines. She describes mRNA vaccines as the current top product, but at the same time praises the properties of protein vaccines:

“Protein vaccines belong to the classic types of vaccines, as we know them from influenza vaccines, for example. The new protein vaccine Nuvaxovid contains the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and additionally an active ingredient enhancer to better activate the immune response. The results of the clinical trials are very promising: They show that people vaccinated with them are very well protected against a severe course of disease. Unfortunately, this vaccine, like the mRNA vaccines, does not protect against infection. Whether the immune response will last longer will only become apparent over the course of time.”

How far advanced is corona research?

Together with colleagues from Erlangen-Nuremberg, scientists from the University of Siegen are currently researching revolutionary methods for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 and other viral diseases. The reasons are that Covid-19 rapid tests for the home are not 100 % reliable. On the other hand, PCR tests produce clear results, but are also expensive, time-consuming and can only be evaluated by trained specialists and laboratories.

The MATISSE research project aims to detect virus particles using biochips and terahertz radiation. “Terahertz rays can excite characteristic oscillations in biologically significant molecules. This results in strong resonances that can be measured by a terahertz receiver,” scientist Dr. Anna Wigger explained. The team led by project leader Prof. Dr. Peter Haring Bolívar would like to apply “capture molecules” to the biochips developed in Siegen, which exactly match the characteristic structures of virus particles and can retain them on the chip surface. If a terahertz measurement is subsequently carried out on the chip, the resonance frequency of the sensor changes. The virus sought could thus be detected without any doubt.

If their studies are successful, tests for SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses can become reality in just a few years, providing reliable results within minutes. And can also be carried out in any doctor's office.

How long does vaccine development take?

It usually takes several years, sometimes even decades, for science to develop a vaccine against a novel pathogen. In the context of the corona pandemic, research has been able to drastically shorten this process: Between 2020 and 2021, only approx. six months elapsed between the first trials and the approval of a vaccine against Covid19. This was, of course, primarily due to the immense logistical and financial effort that governments and industry put into this. But the good preparatory work of science also made its contribution: As early as 2002/03, the first mRNA vaccines were tested in human subjects. In 2017, just a few years before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, they reached market maturity. This was a basic technology for the first Covid19 vaccine from BioNTech/Pfizer.

If a vaccine against the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, as predicted by the EMA, were to be approved in autumn 2022, this process would have been successful again in less than one year.

How are medicines for the coronavirus developed?

In the field of pharmaceuticals, scientists distinguish three types of drugs in the fight against the pandemic:

• Vaccinations protect against infections and severe course of events.
• Antiviral drugs block the proliferation of the virus.
• Antibody drugs prevent viruses from entering a patient's cells.

It usually takes ten years or more to develop medications for novel diseases such as Covid-19. However, research has also progressed rapidly in the field of therapeutic agents against SARS-CoV-2 and its symptoms during the pandemic. This is due to several factors: Since this was (and still is) a global challenge, many institutions have worked together on the same subject. The governments’ financial backing for the research companies was also crucial, since drug development usually poses a significant financial risk for a pharmaceutical company. Cutting red tape and speeding up approval procedures did the rest. In addition, an above-average number of volunteers came forward during the corona pandemic, which in turn was only possible due to the high number of infections.

It took fewer than two years to develop a coronavirus medication from the test on the first patient to market maturity—another record in the fight against SARS-CoV-2.

Scientists and doctors do not proceed differently in their studies than in the research of conventional drugs. As soon as a promising preparation has been developed, extensive (long-term) studies on patients or subjects begin. The regular approval process of the various drug authorities is carried out based on proof of efficacy and safety.

Of course, state-of-the-art laboratory technology is used in research and diagnostics. analytica 2022 is presenting revolutionary methodology and the current state of laboratory technology of global, renowned manufacturers.

Unique supporting program dealing with laboratories and corona

In addition to the trade fair, our analytica conference and the extensive supporting program offer unique insights into current theory and practice in the field of coronavirus research.