Collaboration launched to drive understanding into Covid-19

The Medicines Discovery Catapult has announced a new collaboration to improve our understanding of the cellular mechanisms of infection by Covid-19.

Medicines Discovery Catapult will work with clinical research organisation (CRO) Peak Proteins and cell specialists Retrogenix to uncover the unknown cell mechanisms of Covid-19.

The collaboration will combine drug discovery knowledge and protein science with cellular microarray technology to uncover any unknown cellular receptors or binding proteins of Covid-19. Identifying these receptors could provide scientists with the basis for new approaches to treatments for Covid-19, and also guide drug repurposing efforts.

Jo Soden, co-founder and director at Retrogenix, said: “By screening against our unique library of human cell surface proteins, Retrogenix has previously been highly successful in identifying viral receptors. Using the same technology, we now have the perfect opportunity to search for new receptors for Covid-19. A positive find could have significant consequences in the search for treatments.”

Mark Abbott, CEO Peak Proteins, added: “The ability to rapidly produce and provide high quality Covid-19 proteins for use in key research activities has been really important to us. We are delighted to provide our protein production expertise and generate the tailored protein reagents needed for this project.

Our focus has been on keeping our labs open, while ensuring the safety of the staff, and this seems all the more worthwhile when we are able to contribute to understanding how Covid-19 infects cells, and in the development of new approaches to target the virus.”

Peter Simpson, CSO of Medicines Discovery Catapult, commented: “It is heartening to see the scientific and technical expertise of our three skilled organisations coming rapidly together to respond to this global health crisis.

Medicines Discovery Catapult has already established the Alderley Park Lighthouse Lab for large scale Covid-19 diagnostic testing, and we are delighted to now provide scientific expertise for this collaborative project that will enhance understanding of Covid-19 and support the global challenge to find therapeutic opportunities.”