Seogang University announced on the 23rd that a research team led by Professor Shin Gwan-woo at the Biointerface Research Institute has jointly synthesized a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) virus in the laboratory with a research team led by Professor Min Jun-hong at Chung-Ang University's Department of Convergence Engineering. The synthesized virus shares similarities in 3D structure, protein characteristics, and genetic information with the real virus but is non-infectious.
The artificially synthesized virus closely resembles the actual virus in shape. Spike proteins known as S-proteins are attached to the exterior of the cell membrane, while the genetic information composed of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and nucleocapsid proteins (N-proteins) is included inside the cell membrane, identical to the actual virus.
In fact, most COVID-19 diagnostic devices on the market today have diagnosed this artificial coronavirus as if it were the actual virus. Most rapid diagnostic kits currently available distinguish the virus through antigen-antibody reactions involving S-proteins or N-proteins or by amplifying genetic information using RNA.
However, unlike the actual virus, the artificial virus contains only localized fragments of most proteins and RNA that can be detected by diagnostic kits, meaning it does not cause real disease or have any infectivity.
Viruses continually mutate over time, and new diagnostic kits are needed to diagnose infections. Every time a new variant appears, it is necessary to verify the diagnostic accuracy using samples collected from patients, which can only be tested in strictly controlled facilities. However, this artificial virus can be easily used in general laboratories to verify the detection sensitivity and diagnostic capabilities of the test kits.
Professor Shin Gwan-woo noted, "We utilized synthetic biology's artificial cell technology by assembling the characteristic proteins of the virus one by one onto an artificial cell membrane. This enables easy verification of the detection sensitivity of diagnostic kits or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) reagents developed in response to new variants of the coronavirus in general laboratories."
The results of this study were published on April 28 in the international journal "Advanced Therapeutics" and were selected as the cover paper for the June issue.
References
Advanced Therapeutics (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adtp.202400401