For more than a year BioCopy AG has been working with the Swiss Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI) to measure the structural proteins found on the molecular outer skin of the African swine fever (ASF) virus in a comprehensive way. The goal is to determine which combinations of these proteins are suitable for the development of a novel protein-based vaccine against the ASF pathogen. Long-standing attempts to develop a vaccine against swine fever, which is spreading worldwide, have so far been unsuccessful.
With BioCopy's unique platform technology, it is possible to synthesize the molecular building blocks of the virus in 100s of different individual parts as well as their variants and present them on a chip. By thoroughly measuring the smallest serum samples of recovered animals on this chip, it is possible to differentiate between those structural proteins that may be relevant for immunity and those not needed.
These data are crucial for the development of new therapeutics. BioCopy can quickly analyze a large number of immunogenic drug candidates in great detail without major biotechnological effort, thus providing partners with an immense developmental edge - not only in the veterinary field.
The immense data depth makes it possible to identify which candidates are generally suitable for vaccine development. Particularly in the case of highly infectious pathogens, such as the ASF pathogen, this harmless and rapid screening method from BioCopy is beneficial in two ways: one only needs the DNA code of the pathogen and one never works with an infectious, complete virus, but only with individually synthesized surface fragments. BioCopy's work focuses on validating potential drug candidates for new vaccines.
BioCopy's technology has already been successfully applied to several variants of coronavirus. It is currently being used with various partners for the fast screening of T-cell therapeutics to rapidly and safely launch new immunotherapies for cancer patients.