2. Academic Validation
  3. An RNA replicon system to investigate promising inhibitors of feline coronavirus

An RNA replicon system to investigate promising inhibitors of feline coronavirus

  • J Virol. 2024 Jan 18:e0121623. doi: 10.1128/jvi.01216-23.
Kimberly Schmied 1 2,  Rosina Ehmann 3,  Claudia Kristen-Burmann 3,  Nadine Ebert 1 2,  Güliz Tuba Barut 1 2,  Lea Almeida 1 2,  Jenna N Kelly 1 2 4 5,  Lisa Thomann 1 2,  Hanspeter Stalder 1 2,  Reto Lang 1 2 6,  Gergely Tekes 3,  Volker Thiel 1 2 4 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI), Bern and Mittelhäusern, Switzerland.
  • 2 Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
  • 3 Institute of Virology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
  • 4 Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases (MCID), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
  • 5 European Virus Bioinformatics Center (EVBC), Jena, Germany.
  • 6 Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
PMID: 38236006 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01216-23
Abstract

FIPV is of great significance in the cat population around the world, causing 0.3%-1.4% of feline deaths in veterinary practices (2). As there are neither effective preventive measures nor approved treatment options available, there is an urgent need to identify Antiviral drugs against FIPV. Our FCoV replicon system provides a valuable tool for drug discovery in vitro. Due to the lack of Cell Culture systems for serotype I FCoVs (the serotype most prevalent in the feline population) (2), a different system is needed to study these viruses. A viral replicon system is a valuable tool for studying FCoVs. Overall, our results demonstrate the utility of the serotype I feline coronavirus replicon system for Antiviral screening as well as to study this virus in general. We propose several compounds representing promising candidates for future clinical trials and ultimately with the potential to save cats suffering from FIP.

Keywords

antiviral agents; feline coronavirus; feline infectious peritonitis; replicon.

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