8 February 2021 - - In response to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, US-based biotechnology company Integral Molecular has adapted its SARS-CoV-2 reporter virus particle technology to reflect emerging virus variants, enabling safe laboratory testing for viral resistance to vaccines and drugs, the company said.

The expanded RVP collection encompasses notable variants identified in the UK, South Africa, Japan, Brazil and other countries, as well as over 1,200 other mutants.

SARS-CoV-2 RVPs contain the coronavirus spike protein, the primary target of the human immune response, and carry a non-infectious genome that produces an easily measured fluorescent or light emitting signal upon cellular infection.

Integral Molecular has over a decade of experience producing large-scale batches of quality-controlled RVPs which are being used as critical reagents in vaccine clinical trials.

Integral Molecular is in discovering and characterizing therapeutic antibodies against membrane proteins, an important group of drug targets found on the surfaces of cells and viruses.

Integral Molecular's technologies have been integrated into the drug discovery pipelines of over 400 biotech and pharmaceutical companies to help discover new therapies for cancer, diabetes, auto-immune disorders and viral threats such as SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, Zika, and dengue.