Bioengineering tools to speed up the discovery and preclinical testing of vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 and therapeutic agents for COVID-19

• Published in: Theranostics Vol. 10; no. 16; pp. 7034 - 7052
• Main Authors: Raimondi, Manuela Teresa, Donnaloja, Francesca, Barzaghini, Bianca, Bocconi, Alberto, Conci, Claudio, Parodi, Valentina, Jacchetti, Emanuela, Carelli, Stephana
• Format: Journal Article Book Review
• Language: English
• Published: Australia Ivyspring International Publisher Pty Ltd 2020; Ivyspring International Publisher
• Subjects: Antiviral Agents - isolation & purification; Antiviral Agents - pharmacology; Betacoronavirus - chemistry; Betacoronavirus - genetics; Betacoronavirus - immunology; Bioengineering; Bioengineering - methods; Bioengineering - trends; Bioreactors; Cell Culture Techniques; Computer Simulation; Coronavirus Infections - drug therapy; Coronavirus Infections - immunology; Coronavirus Infections - prevention & control; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 Vaccines; Drug Discovery - methods; Drug Discovery - trends; Drug Evaluation - methods; Drug Evaluation - trends; Drug Resistance, Viral; Drug therapy; Genomes; Host Microbial Interactions - genetics; Host Microbial Interactions - immunology; Humans; Infections; Laboratory animals; Microscopy; Models, Biological; Organoids - cytology; Organoids - virology; Pandemics - prevention & control; Pharmaceuticals; Pneumonia, Viral - drug therapy; Pneumonia, Viral - immunology; Pneumonia, Viral - prevention & control; Population; Proteins; Regulatory approval; Review; RNA polymerase; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Theranostic Nanomedicine; Viral infections; Viral Vaccines - isolation & purification; Viral Vaccines - pharmacology; Viruses; vaccine; Coronavirus; antiviral; preclinical testing; bioengineering; target
• ISSN: 1838-7640; 1838-7640
• DOI: 10.7150/thno.47406

This review provides an update for the international research community on the cell modeling tools that could accelerate the understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection mechanisms and could thus speed up the development of vaccines and therapeutic agents against COVID-19. Many bioengineering groups are actively developing frontier tools that are capable of providing realistic three-dimensional (3D) models for biological research, including cell culture scaffolds, microfluidic chambers for the culture of tissue equivalents and organoids, and implantable windows for intravital imaging. Here, we review the most innovative study models based on these bioengineering tools in the context of virology and vaccinology. To make it easier for scientists working on SARS-CoV-2 to identify and apply specific tools, we discuss how they could accelerate the discovery and preclinical development of antiviral drugs and vaccines, compared to conventional models.