OXGENE and The Native Antigen Company are collaborating to scale up production of SARS-CoV-2 reagents by combining OXGENE\u2019s proprietary Adenoviral Protein Machine Technology with The Native Antigen Company\u2019s antigen development expertise. Together, they aim to scale their antigen manufacturing capabilities to deliver high-purity, recombinant proteins for the development of diagnostics and vaccines.
\nUnlike the PCR tests that are currently being used, these diagnostics will be able to confirm past infections and determine levels of immunity to SARS-CoV-2. This could be invaluable for disease modelling and public health policy, as true transmission rates and case fatality rates can be determined. These tests could also be instrumental for the diagnosis of healthcare workers who have been exposed to the virus to ensure that they have developed natural immunity before returning to work, and to help measure patient immune responses for the rapid development of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.
\nThe Native Antigen Company was one of the first recognised suppliers of SARS-CoV-2 antigens in February 2020, demonstrating their ability to rapidly support the diagnostic and vaccine industries with high-quality infectious disease reagents.
\nOXGENE\u2019s Protein Machine Technology allows for the scalable production of viral proteins in mammalian cells using their proprietary adenoviral expression vector. Through genetic modification, the adenovirus is \u2018tricked\u2019 into making SARS-CoV-2 proteins rather than its own, thereby harnessing the innate power of highly scalable viral protein production.
\nCommenting on the collaboration, Dr Ryan Cawood, Chief Executive, OXGENE, said: \u201cOur novel Protein Machine Technology represents a significant development in the rapid and scalable generation of high-quality viral proteins. We\u2019re delighted that by collaborating with The Native Antigen Company, we can take advantage of our technology to support the needs of researchers racing to develop much-needed diagnostics and vaccines against COVID-19.\u201d
\nThe Native Antigen Company\u2019s recombinant SARS-CoV-2 antigens are produced in mammalian cells to ensure full glycosylation and proper protein folding, both of which are essential for full biological and antigenic activity. The rapid scale up production of SARS-CoV-2 antigens is critical for the development of widely available diagnostic tests.
\nDr Andy Lane, Commercial Director, The Native Antigen Company, said: \u201cWe are committed to developing the highest-quality reagents in rapid response to emerging epidemic diseases. Since the start of the crisis, the demand for our COVID-19 antigens has increased significantly, and by scaling up production of these vital reagents in collaboration with OXGENE, we hope to be able to support more researchers in their critical work developing diagnostics and vaccines.\u201d
\nThis collaboration builds on a long-standing collegiate relationship between the two Oxford-based businesses as they work towards developing more scalable technologies for the diagnosis of disease, and the cost-effective manufacture of high-quality diagnostics and vaccines.
\nOXGENE and The Native Antigen Company aim to complete the first validation of this new paradigm in protein expression by May 2020, which could have a demonstrable impact on the race to develop diagnostic kits and vaccines against this virus.
\nFor further information about The Native Antigen Company\u2019s Coronavirus Antigens, visit: https:\/\/thenativeantigencompany.com\/coronavirus-dashboard\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
OXGENE and The Native Antigen Company are collaborating to scale up production of SARS-CoV-2 reagents by combining OXGENE\u2019s proprietary Adenoviral Protein Machine Technology with The Native Antigen Company\u2019s antigen development expertise. Together, they aim to scale their antigen manufacturing capabilities to deliver high-purity, recombinant proteins for the development of diagnostics and vaccines. Unlike the PCR […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,35],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/697"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/697\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinlabint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}