Dublin, Ireland – May 19th, 2020 – Aalto Bio Reagents today announced the availability of its new range of recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) proteins for diagnostic test manufacturers, vaccine developers and researchers globally. Among all structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2, the S protein is the main antigenic component that is responsible for inducing host immune responses and neutralizing antibodies. This makes it the principal focus of therapeutic and vaccine design for COVID-19.
The S protein of SARS-CoV-2 is located on the surface of the viral particles and is comprised of two functional units, S1 and S2. The N-terminal S1 subunit is responsible for virus–receptor binding and the C-terminal S2 subunit mediates virus–cell membrane fusion. When used solely or in combination with our new insect-derived Nucleocapsid protein (N) (code BM 6424), our S1-S2 chimeric glycoprotein (code BM 6422) has demonstrated excellent reactivity in ELISA for detection of IgA, IgG and IgM antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.
“Patients continue to be screened for the virus by PCR on the frontline”, said Philip Noone, CEO of Aalto Bio Reagents, “however there is an important need for serological tests as well to detect all those mild or even asymptomatic cases that may otherwise be missed. Having diagnostic tests that can work in different healthcare settings will be the critical next step in battling this virus and crucial to their development is the selection of high-quality, raw materials used to design them. Our new S1, S2 glycoproteins and S1-S2 chimeric protein, in addition to our e. coli-derived N protein launched in February for COVID diagnosis, have been rapidly developed to meet this urgent need”.