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Construction and applications of SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses: a mini review

Minghai Chen1, Xian-En Zhang2,1

  • 1CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.

International Journal of Biological Sciences
|April 28, 2021
PubMed

Insights

This review explores SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses, safer alternatives to live SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), for studying viral infection mechanisms and developing vaccines and therapeutics.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, presents significant global health challenges.
  • Research on live SARS-CoV-2 is restricted to high-containment biosafety level 3 laboratories due to its infectivity and pathogenicity.
  • This limitation hinders the development of essential vaccines and therapeutics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the construction and application of SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses as a safer research tool.
  • To discuss the advantages of using pseudoviruses in biosafety level 2 laboratories.
  • To explore current applications, limitations, and future directions for SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus research.

Main Methods:

  • Discussion of various packaging systems used for SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus construction.
  • Review of methodologies for creating and utilizing these pseudoviruses.
  • Analysis of existing literature on SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus applications.

Main Results:

  • SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses offer a safer alternative for studying viral entry and infection mechanisms.
  • These pseudoviruses can be handled in lower biosafety level laboratories, facilitating broader research.
  • They serve as valuable tools for vaccine and therapeutic development screening.

Conclusions:

  • SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses are crucial for advancing research on SARS-CoV-2.
  • Their use accelerates the development of effective countermeasures against COVID-19.
  • Further exploration of packaging systems and applications will enhance their utility.
Keywords:
COVID-19SARS-CoV-2packaging systempseudovirusspike protein

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