Serology testing for COVID-19 is important in evaluating active immune
response against SARS-CoV-2, studying the antibody kinetics, and
monitoring reinfections with genetic variants and new virus strains, in
particular, the duration of antibodies in virus-exposed individuals and
vaccine-mediated immunity. In this work, recombinant S protein of
SARS-CoV-2 was expressed in Rachiplusia nu, an important agronomic
plague. One gram of insect larvae produces an amount of S protein
sufficient for 150 determinations in the ELISA method herein developed.
We established a rapid production process for SARS-CoV-2 S protein that
showed immunoreactivity for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and was used as a
single antigen for developing the ELISA method with high sensitivity
(96.2%) and specificity (98.8%). Our findings provide an efficient and
cost-effective platform for large-scale S protein production, and the
scale-up is linear, thus avoiding the use of complex equipment like
bioreactors.
Serology testing for COVID-19 is important in evaluating active immune
response against SARS-CoV-2, studying the antibody kinetics, and
monitoring reinfections with genetic variants and new virus strains, in
particular, the duration of antibodies in virus-exposed individuals and
vaccine-mediated immunity. In this work, recombinant S protein of
SARS-CoV-2 was expressed in Rachiplusia nu, an important agronomic
plague. One larva produces an amount of S protein sufficient for 150
determinations in the ELISA method herein developed. We established a
rapid production process for SARS-CoV-2 S protein that showed
immunoreactivity for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and was used as a single
antigen for developing the ELISA method with high sensitivity (96.2%)
and specificity (98.8%). Our findings provide an efficient and
cost-effective platform for large-scale S protein production, and the
scale-up is linear, thus avoiding the use of complex equipment like
bioreactors.
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