Transcriptomics and RNA-Based Therapeutics as Potential Approaches to Manage SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 is a coronavirus family member that appeared in China in December 2019 and caused the disease called COVID-19, which was declared a pandemic in 2020 by the World Health Organization. In recent months, great efforts have been made in the field of basic and clinical research to understand the biology and infection processes of SARS-CoV-2. In particular, transcriptome analysis has contributed to generating new knowledge of the viral sequences and intracellular signaling pathways that regulate the infection and pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2, generating new information about its biology. Furthermore, transcriptomics approaches including spatial transcriptomics, single-cell transcriptomics and direct RNA sequencing have been used for clinical applications in monitoring, detection, diagnosis, and treatment to generate new clinical predictive models for SARS-CoV-2. Consequently, RNA-based therapeutics and their relationship with SARS-CoV-2 have emerged as promising strategies to battle the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic with the assistance of novel approaches such as CRISPR-CAS, ASOs, and siRNA systems. Lastly, we discuss the importance of precision public health in the management of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and establish that the fusion of transcriptomics, RNA-based therapeutics, and precision public health will allow a linkage for developing health systems that facilitate the acquisition of relevant clinical strategies for rapid decision making to assist in the management and treatment of the SARS-CoV-2-infected population to combat this global public health problem.

Application of Omics and Bioinformatics Technologies in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

“…5 Direct RNA sequencing, coupled with a highresolution map of the SARS-CoV-2 utilizing sequencing-bysynthesis (SBS) and transcriptome analysis, has the capacity to generate RNAs encoding unknown open reading frames (ORFs) and at least 41 potential RNA modification sites. 6 This study underscores the significance of transcriptomics as a valuable tool in the study of SARS-CoV-2, enabling the identification of new therapeutic targets and the generation of pertinent information related to the viral genome. The Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) has played a significant role in this case by submitting over 12.2 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes.…”

“…These efforts have been documented in various studies. 2,[6][7][8] This procedure is designed to oversee the emergence of novel virus variants of significance and facilitate the investigation of viral evolution and dissemination throughout the pandemic era.…”

DNA Oligonucleotides as Antivirals and Vaccine Constituents against SARS Coronaviruses: A Prospective Tool for Immune System Tuning

“…Then, when in contact with the cell membrane, the liposomes created endosomes that entered the cell [ 26 ]. An innovative in silico tool proposed for antisense oligonucleotide design succeeded in targeting different regions of the rapidly evolving viral genome and reduced viral yield and infection [ 27 ]. SARS-CoV-2 and coronaviruses are known to rapidly evolve through point mutations as well as recombination, and the appearance of heavily mutated receptor-binding domains (RBD) through successive point mutations is the most parsimonious scenario [ 28 , 29 , 30 ].…”

Advances in Molecular and Translational Medicine

“…Precision public health is essential in the management of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. The fusion of transcriptomics, RNA-based therapeutics, and precision public health will allow the development of health systems that facilitate the acquisition of relevant clinical strategies for rapid decision making to assist in the management and treatment of the SARS-CoV-2-infected population to combat this global public health problem [19].…”