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Plant Molecular Farming as a Strategy Against COVID-19 - The Italian Perspective.

ABSTRACT: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has killed more than 37,000 people in Italy and has caused widespread socioeconomic disruption. Urgent measures are needed to contain and control the virus, particularly diagnostic kits for detection and surveillance, therapeutics to reduce mortality among the severely affected, and vaccines to protect the remaining population. Here we discuss the potential role of plant molecular farming in the rapid and scalable supply of protein antigens as reagents and vaccine candidates, antibodies for virus detection and passive immunotherapy, other therapeutic proteins, and virus-like particles as novel vaccine platforms. We calculate the amount of infrastructure and production capacity needed to deal with predictable subsequent waves of COVID-19 in Italy by pooling expertise in plant molecular farming, epidemiology and the Italian health system. We calculate the investment required in molecular farming infrastructure that would enable us to capitalize on this technology, and provide a roadmap for the development of diagnostic reagents and biopharmaceuticals using molecular farming in plants to complement production methods based on the cultivation of microbes and mammalian cells.

SUBMITTER: Lico C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7768017 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Plant Molecular Farming as a Strategy Against COVID-19 - The Italian Perspective.

Lico Chiara C Santi Luca L Baschieri Selene S Noris Emanuela E Marusic Carla C Donini Marcello M Pedrazzini Emanuela E Maga Giovanni G Franconi Rosella R Di Bonito Paola P Avesani Linda L

Frontiers in plant science 20201214

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has killed more than 37,000 people in Italy and has caused widespread socioeconomic disruption. Urgent measures are needed to contain and control the virus, particularly diagnostic kits for detection and surveillance, therapeutics to reduce mortality among the severely affected, and vaccines to protect the remaining population. Here we discuss the potential role of plant molecular farming in the rapid and scalable supply of protein ant ...[more]

PMID: 33381140

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Project description:The objective of the present study was to examine the relationship between resistance to ageism-based frailty (A-BF) and physical activity (PA) and sport in a cohort of women, aged 65 and older, living in Central Italy. The study was conducted in the spring of 2021 when rigorous COVID-19 containment measures were in force across Italy. A quanti-qualitative investigation was carried out in the cohort. A questionnaire to evaluate older women’s engagement in (PA) and sport was administered and subsequently semi-structured phone interviews with those subjects who were found to be physically active were conducted to evaluate their forms of resistance to the crisis. A total number of 88 subjects responded and participated in the survey. Two tools were used to determine the study outcomes in the quantitative investigation. An altered version of Godin and Shephard’s Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GSLTPAQ) was used to evaluate the engagement of women in PA and sport. Moreover, subjects’ motivation to exercise was evaluated when they completed the survey using the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-2), a tool that assesses exercise regulation according to the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) framework. The active women resulting from the quantitative investigation were then interviewed in the qualitative investigation, using an interview grid. In the quantitative investigation it was found that PA is correlated with autonomy. Identified and intrinsic regulations prevail in women who are engaged in medium or high PA, vice-versa external regulation, introjected regulation and amotivation prevail in women who are engaged in insufficient PA or who are sedentary. In the qualitative investigation it was found that the participants experienced ambivalence, conflicts and crises at multiple levels (individual, interpersonal and institutional), generating contrasting feelings, which they faced by developing an active, peaceful and silent form of resistance by caring for their bodies and minds engaging in PA and sport.

Project description:The global pandemic caused by the newly described severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused worldwide suffering and death of unimaginable magnitude from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The virus is transmitted through aerosol droplets, and causes severe acute respiratory syndrome. SARS-CoV-2 uses the receptor-binding domain of its spike protein S1 to attach to the host angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor in lung and airway cells. Binding requires the help of another host protein, transmembrane protease serine S1 member 2. Several factors likely contribute to the efficient transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 has a 10- to 20-fold higher receptor-binding capacity compared with previous pandemic coronaviruses. In addition, because asymptomatic persons infected with SARS-CoV-2 have high viral loads in their nasal secretions, they can silently and efficiently spread the disease. PCR-based tests have emerged as the criterion standard for the diagnosis of infection. Caution must be exercised in interpreting antibody-based tests because they have not yet been validated, and may give a false sense of security of being "immune" to SARS-CoV-2. We discuss how the development of some symptoms in allergic rhinitis can serve as clues for new-onset COVID-19. There are mixed reports that asthma is a risk factor for severe COVID-19, possibly due to differences in asthma endotypes. The rapid spread of COVID-19 has focused the efforts of scientists on repurposing existing Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs that inhibit viral entry, endocytosis, genome assembly, translation, and replication. Numerous clinical trials have been launched to identify effective treatments for COVID-19. Initial data from a placebo-controlled study suggest faster time to recovery in patients on remdesivir; it is now being evaluated in additional controlled studies. As discussed in this review, till effective vaccines and treatments emerge, it is important to understand the scientific rationale of pandemic-mitigation strategies such as wearing facemasks and social distancing, and implement them.

Dataset Information

Plant Molecular Farming as a Strategy Against COVID-19 - The Italian Perspective.

Publications

Plant Molecular Farming as a Strategy Against COVID-19 - The Italian Perspective.

Similar Datasets

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