Preprint: New approach to fight pandemics

Dr. Rao, Dr. Frey and graduate students from the Chemical Biochemical & Environmental Engineering Department (CBEE) at UMBC as well as collaborators, released a transcript in bioRxiv, titled: “An approach to rapid distributed manufacturing of broad spectrum anti-viral griffithsin using cell-free systems to mitigate pandemics”.

The study details a way for swiftly and effectively synthesizing a protein with broad-spectrum activity. The protein, known as griffithsin, can now be made using either a plant-based or microbial cell-free technology in less than 24 hours and is effective against viruses like SARS-CoV-2 and HIV-1 in vitro. 

The production process is effective and scalable, and its quality and purity have been confirmed using accepted regulatory metrics. Being able to quickly deploy it anywhere in the world to aid in containing viral outbreaks at their source makes it a crucial tool for pandemic mitigation. The development of viral variants has resulted in frequent updates to current vaccines and decreased efficacy of some monoclonal antibody treatments, making proteins like griffithsin a potential asset to the suite of antiviral therapies.