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Coronaviruses roadmap:
Diagnostic Tests

Roadmap for the development of diagnostic tests for coronaviruses

Download 202410 Draft Coronavirus Diagnostic Development_Final

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Characterisation

Characterisation

Research Question

  • Genetic/biological characterisation of major coronaviruses impacting animal health and/or having zoonotic concerns

Research Gaps and Challenges

  • Characterise determinants of high vs low virulence
  • Characterisation of and host range host/issue tropism
  • Characterisation of the antigenic properties
  • General genetic similarity between many coronavirus lineages, therefore sequencing is needed for species identification
  • What features characterise new variants of concern?
  • Lack of standardised tools for basic biological characterisation
  • Lack of adequate cell lines for isolation and characterisation
  • Characterisation of major drivers for virus jumping into new species of hosts
  • Understanding the effect (if any) of propagating viruses in cell lines / organoids on the phenotype of the virus

Solution Routes

  • Somatic Mutagenesis (ISA)- to rescue synthetic viruses
  • Loss of function experiments by reverse genetics strategies
  • Study virus transmission across human/animal interface and animal/animal interface
  • Development of models to predict epitopes based on S sequence evolution
  • Improve ex vivo, in vitro and organoids characterization of new viral isolates

Dependencies

  • Virus isolates
  • Standardised animal models to characterise virus
  • Interface transmission models
  • Genomic surveillance in multiple hosts and even different sites within the same host