Kiki’s Comments                                                                                                        June 2020

                        TWiV 622: Nonhuman primate model for COVID-19 with Emmie de Wit

            Key PointsNonhuman primate model with Emmie de Wit:*

*nonhuman primate models are one of the best models for coronaviruses because of issues with the receptor binding. Ferrets and hamsters do not appear to get sick and mice require the ACE2 receptor with these diseases. The macaques have been a successful model for SARS-1 and CoV-2. 

*CoV-2 virus was present and detectable in the macaques as soon as 3 days post infection; by day 7 we can find some virus replicating in the lungs, but not much. Highest replication in the lungs on days 2-4 post infection.

*Remdesivir actually works as a SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic in animal studies, but timing is very important—it is most effective given soon after infection. If you treat early, Remdesivir has a very positive effect.

n.b. some limitations of Remdesivir are that it is an intravenous drug, the timing is very important, and it may be difficult to produce in large quantities

By Kiki Warren (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kikiwarren/)