Virology Resource Core

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JH-EPICS Virology Resource Core (VRC) Summary The Johns Hopkins Excellence in Pathogenesis and Immunity Center for SARS-CoV-2 (JH-EPICS) aims to systematically analyze the innate, T cell, and antibody responses that either protect or cause pathology during SARS-CoV-2 infection. In order to accurately accomplish the Specific Aims within the three JH-EPICS Research Projects, a consistent and reliable source of virus-specific reagents and methods is required. The Virology Resource Core (VRC) is tasked with providing SARS-CoV-2-specific reagents and access to BSL3 facilities to perform experiments with virus infected cells for the three JH-EPICS Research Projects. The VRC draws on the expertise of Andrew Pekosz, PhD (Lead) and Michael Betenbaugh, PhD (Co-Lead) to generate these reagents. The VRC will produce recombinant proteins and, in particular, proteins with complex carbohydrate moieties. The VRC has the ability to use mammalian cells to express small or large quantities of purified proteins that will be used by all the JH-EPICS Research Projects to measure viral antigen specific responses. The Lead of the VRC has experience with respiratory viruses, such as influenza, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2, which will enable the VRC to rigorously and accurately grow and provide the JH-EPICS Research Projects with a consistent source of virus particles or infected cell lysates that have been inactivated and can be used in laboratories outside of BSL3-containment. The VRC will provide the expertise and access to facilities necessary to perform experiments on virus-infected cells, which will allow the JH-EPICS investigators to validate results with live virus. The centralized production of these reagents, the use of standardized protocols for virus infections, and consistent use across JH-EPICS Research Projects will improve the quality, rigor, and reproducibility of data to increase the public health significance of the JH-EPICS studies.