Rapid and cost-effective process based on insect larvae for scale-up production of SARS-COV-2 spike protein for serological COVID-19 testing

SMITH, IGNACIO; MC CALLUM, GREGORIO; SABLJIC, ADRIANA V.; MARFIA, JUAN I.; BOMBICINO, SILVINA S.; TRABUCCI, ALDANA; IACONO, RUBEN F.; BIRENBAUM, JOAQUIN M.; VAZQUEZ, SUSANA C.; MINOIA, JUAN M.; CASCONE, OSVALDO; LOPEZ, MARIA G.; TABOGA, OSCAR; TARGOVNIK, ALEXANDRA M.; WOLMAN, FEDERICO J.; FINGERMANN, MATÍAS; ALONSO, LEONARDO G.; VALDEZ, SILVINA N.; MIRANDA, MARÍA V.

BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

JOHN WILEY & SONS INC

Año: 2021

0006-3592

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 study, 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 proteinsufficient 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.