Czech scientists take aim at coronavirus ****************************************************************************************** * Czech scientists take the battle to the coronavirus ****************************************************************************************** The development of the coronavirus vaccine is being carried out by scientists in Germany, Israel and other countries. In the United States, the first vaccine tests have already beg reported on March 16 that the first patient had been given a substance developed by Kaiser Another multinational company bringing together Chinese, South Korean and American researc Pharmaceutics, plans to start testing in April. Research institutes in the Czech Republic Charles University – are not lagging behind in the global fight against coronavirus, eithe In Europe, mainly due to the race against the clock, doctors started to provide patients w Remdesivir, originally developed for use against Ebola. Gilead's Tomáš Cihlář A team of physicians from Gilead Sciences, California, is led by Tomáš Cihlář, the company of Virology pointed out on public broadcaster Czech TV there were numerous factors which w considered, one being the safety of taking the substance; in other words, to what extent t tolerate the drug’s side effects as well as the conditions for Remdesivir in Africa being from those now in countries with coronavirus infection. The medicine could have reacted di The second factor, was efficacy, he made clear. The core feature of Remdesivir is the ability to prevent the virus from reproducing. The a breaks down in the patient’s body into an active ‘warrior’, a cell that ‘traps’ coronaviru and prevent them from reproducing. Around 5,000 tests have been carried out, mainly in Chi A week ago, Czech medical experts were confident that the substance could be available to patients in critical health condition in the Czech Republic, as Gilead Sciences have agree Remdesivir to cover specific cases at the request of the Ministry of Health of the Czech R over the past few days, due to an increase in treatment requests from around the world, th was suspended for all cases other than the treatment of expecting mothers and children und age. Rather than deciding on the specific application of Remdesivir, which has so far only animals, the company is now busy finding ways of making the treatment available to more pe Despite the decision, on March 24, the General University Hospital in Prague started to ad medicine to a patient with in critical condition with Covid-19. Ruth Tachezy’s Team Just as the research into active substances to fight the viral infection and its introduct medical practice is in full swing, scientific teams are busy with detecting the infection. ‘Covid-19’ is being introduced by a team led by Ruth Tachezy [ URL "https://www.uhkt.cz/za tachezy"] , the head of the laboratory at the Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusio National Reference Laboratory for Papillomaviruses and Polyomaviruses, and head of the Dep Genetics and Microbiology [ URL "https://www.natur.cuni.cz/biologie/genetika"] at the Facu Charles University. The IHBT team performs on-requests testing for the hospital’s task force, which requires t of personnel and haemato-oncological patients. “In the Institute, we are accredited in acc the standard for clinical materials and methods that have to be examined for the presence infection. We had received the permit within 24 hours and now we run the tests in two-shif It would not be possible if it had not been for our loyal and skilled staff,” and adds: “W preparing tests in the laboratories in BIOCEV as part of the activities of the Academy of Czech Republic and Charles University, coordinated by Charles University’s Vice –Rector fo Konvalinka. This also provides suitable premises as well as, technical equipment and perso BIOCEV is not a medical but a scientific institution and, as such, is not accredited. Desp of accreditation, we can guarantee the reliability of the testing. Authorization for inves pending.”[Editor’s note: It was granted and has now been confirmed]. As Ruth Tachezy further states, many existing (and mostly sold out) commercial tests do no parameters (internal quality checks, positive or negative reaction checks). “Everything is rapidly and evolving continuously. But it is not necessary to keep pace at the expense of i.e. to compromise the reliability of testing. Of course, the sooner we get a vaccine to t of an epidemic the better. I would be surprised, however, if the vaccine were available fo spread vaccination sooner than in a year or a year and a half, ”the scientist estimates. A her information, three institutions are currently working on vaccines – companies that hav total of 12.5 million USD from the US Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI the scientific teams of Moderna (mRNA vaccines), Inovio (DNA vaccines) and the University (protein vaccines in cell cultures). Scientific workplaces offer joint testing Researchers and facilities of well-equipped biological laboratories were offered for joint COVID-19 by the Academy of Sciences (ASCR), Charles University and Masaryk University. The professional staff and scientific background was presented to the Prime Minister, Minister Chairman of the Govt. Task Force Headquarters on March 17. “For example, of the institutes of Sciences of the Czech Republic, the Institute of Molecular Genetics, the Institute of O and Biochemistry, the Biology Centre, the Institute of Microbiology and the Institute of B willing to participate in the testing,” said Eva Zažímalová, President of the ASCR. Charle Vice-Rector for Research Jan Konvalinka [ URL "https://www.natur.cuni.cz/chemie/biochem"] of Biochemistry at the Faculty of Sciences of Charles University, also a researcher at the Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Academy of Sciences, became the main coordinator “Thanks to excellent cooperation with the National Institute of Public Health, three acade have been approved to carry out the tests: the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the Medi Palacký University, headed by Marián Hajdúch; Šárka Pospíšilová’s team at CEITEC of Masary and the Institute of Parasitology of the Biology Centre of AS CR in České Budějovice, with Our colleagues at the Faculty of Science of Charles University, led by Ruth Tachezy, are a Testing is underway in the BIOCEV laboratories, where scientists from the Faculty of Scien University will work together with colleagues from the First and Second Faculty of Medicin Konvalinka. As Konvalinka further adds, testing has but started and the overall figures should reflect of scientific institutions at the end of the week. “The Prague institutes of the Academy o and Dejvice are also working intensively on getting their testing capacities going. In the main goal is to help hospitals with testing using commercial kits. The long-term goal is t that would allow testing using domestic reagents, recombinant proteins and chemicals,” Kon According to the vice-rector, chemists at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemis in cooperation with the Faculty of Science and the Second Faculty of Medicine are doing a respect. Vice-Rector Konvalinka published the following appeal on his Facebook page: “If any depart Academy of Sciences or University has the capacity and opportunity to join, or is already we do not know about it, please do let me know. Together, we can [succeed]!” Original article in Czech [ URL "https://iforum.cuni.cz/IFORUM-16714.html"]