COVID-19 Research: Lessons from Non-Human Primate Models

• Published in: Vaccines (Basel) Vol. 9; no. 8; p. 886
• Main Authors: Albrecht, Laure, Bishop, Elodie, Jay, Basile, Lafoux, Blaise, Minoves, Marie, Passaes, Caroline
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 10.08.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Aerosols; Animal models; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Disease transmission; drug discovery; Immunology; Infections; Kidneys; Life Sciences; Lungs; Medical research; Microbiology and Parasitology; Middle East respiratory syndrome; non-human primates; Pandemics; Pathogenesis; Primates; Public health; Respiratory diseases; Review; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Signs and symptoms; vaccine; Vaccines; Viral diseases; Viral infections; Virology; Viruses; COVID-19; pathogenesis; SARS-CoV-2; vaccine; drug discovery; non-human primates
• ISSN: 2076-393X; 2076-393X
• DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9080886

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It emerged from China in December 2019 and rapidly spread across the globe, causing a pandemic with unprecedented impacts on public health and economy. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of curative treatments and vaccines. In humans, COVID-19 pathogenesis shows a wide range of symptoms, from asymptomatic to severe pneumonia. Identifying animal models of SARS-CoV-2 infection that reflect the clinical symptoms of COVID-19 is of critical importance. Nonhuman primates (NHPss) correspond to relevant models to assess vaccine and antiviral effectiveness. This review discusses the use of NHPs as models for COVID-19 research, with focus on the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, drug discovery and pre-clinical evaluation of vaccine candidates.