Development of mouse model for SARS-CoV2 infection

Inventor (s): Jeetendra Eswaraka and Peter Romanienko

Date Awarded: May 2020

Summary:

Despite the unprecedented infection rate and spread of SARS-CoV2 virus that causes COVID 19 very little is known about the mechanisms of infectivity or methods to treat the virus. An animal model that is amenable to easy manipulation and testing is essential for developing new therapeutics to counter the virus. The virus requires the human Acetylcholine 2 (ACE2) receptor for infection. As a result, mice are not a suitable model to study COVID19. To overcome this issue, we have created a mouse model that knocks out the mouse version of the ACE2 gene and instead expresses the human ACE2 receptor.

Utilizing our genome editing cores extensive experience in project design, CRISPR-Cas9-assisted genome editing and mouse model generation, the team did several complex steps starting from DNA cloning to mouse model generation in a  short time frame of 8 weeks, which is extremely impressive. Currently the team is in the process of generating large number of age-matched cohorts for our faculty by early fall. This model will give a competitive advantage to our faculty pursuing work on COVID 19 to understand mechanisms of viral infection, host response to the disease and develop new therapeutics and/or vaccines for the disease.