Title:Review on In Silico Methods, High-throughput Screening Techniques,
and Cell Culture Based In Vitro Assays for SARS-CoV-2
Volume: 29
Issue: 38
Author(s): Yuksel Cetin*, Seyma Aydinlik*, Aysen Gungor, Tugce Kan, Timucin Avsar and Serdar Durdagi
Affiliation:
- Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Institute, Marmara Research Center (MRC), The Scientific and
Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), Gebze, Turkey
- Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Institute, Marmara Research Center (MRC), The Scientific and
Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), Gebze, Turkey
Keywords:
High-throughput screening, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, in vitro assay, in silico screening, drug repurposing.
Abstract: The COVID-19 outbreak caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to have high incidence and mortality rate globally.
To meet the increasingly growing demand for new therapeutic drugs and vaccines, researchers
are developing different diagnostic techniques focused on screening new drugs
in clinical use, developing an antibody targeting a SARS-CoV-2 receptor, or interrupting
infection/replication mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2. Although many prestigious research
publications are addressing this subject, there is no open access platform where all experimental
techniques for COVID-19 research can be seen as a whole. Many researchers
have accelerated the development of in silico methods, high-throughput screening techniques,
and in vitro assays. This development has played an important role in the emergence
of improved, innovative strategies, including different antiviral drug development,
new drug discovery protocols, combinations of approved drugs, and setting up new drug
classes during the COVID-19 outbreak. Hence, the present review discusses the current
literature on these modalities, including virtual in silico methods for instant ligand- and
target-driven based techniques, nucleic acid amplification tests, and in vitro models
based on sensitive cell cultures, tissue equivalents, organoids, and SARS-CoV-2 neutralization
systems (lentiviral pseudotype, viral isolates, etc.). This pack of complementary
tests informs researchers about the accurate, most relevant emerging techniques available
and in vitro assays allow them to understand their strengths and limitations. This review
could be a pioneer reference guide for the development of logical algorithmic approaches
for new drugs and vaccine strategies against COVID-19.