Coronaviruses

Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses. They usually cause respiratory infections but can also affect other organs. Sometimes they lead to long-term symptoms or even problems in the brain. Many coronaviruses only cause mild cold-like symptoms, but some variants lead to severe respiratory diseases with major global impact. Because these viruses can adapt quickly and spread easily, research remains crucial.

At BPRC, we use primate models to study infections such as MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. This helps us understand disease progression and contributes to the development of vaccines and antiviral drugs.

Ongoing Research

Over the past 20 years, there have been three major outbreaks of new coronaviruses in humans:

SARS in 2002–2003 in China
MERS in 2012 in Saudi Arabia
SARS-CoV-2 in 2019 in China

All three viruses originated in animals (zoonoses) and can cause severe respiratory infections:

SARS led to 8,096 hospitalizations, with 774 deaths (9.5%).
MERS caused nearly 2,500 cases, with 861 deaths (34.5%).
SARS-CoV-2 resulted in about 450 million cases worldwide, with a mortality rate of around 1%.

Currently, vaccines exist only for SARS-CoV-2. For other coronaviruses, no vaccines or antiviral drugs are available yet. That’s why we study how new vaccines and treatments can provide protection in primate models.

MERS

The MERS virus is on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) list of dangerous pathogens. To test a potential vaccine, we first develop an infection model in rhesus macaques. Then we study the effectiveness of a vaccine developed by a biotech company in collaboration with the University of Oxford. This is done under the so-called Animal Rule.

Partners: Barinthus Biotherapeutics, University of Oxford, and CEPI.
Sponsor: CEPI (https://cepi.net/).

Refinement, Reduction, and Replacement of Animal Testing

The Animal Rule of the U.S. FDA allows vaccines and therapies to be approved based on animal studies when human trials are not feasible or ethically acceptable. This is important for viruses with high mortality rates and few outbreaks, where large-scale human trials are impossible. For the MERS vaccine, this means more animals are needed than in a standard preclinical study.

SARS-CoV-2

The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak caused hundreds of millions of cases worldwide. Vaccines are now available, but due to the rapid emergence of new variants, continued development of vaccines and strategies remains necessary.

Partners: A vaccine study is currently ongoing with a biotech company.

Previous Research

PhD Research (2017–2024)

Researcher Kinga Böszörményi demonstrated the importance of primate models for understanding infectious diseases and developing vaccines and antivirals. She built SARS-CoV-2 models in rhesus and cynomolgus macaques. Using imaging (PET-CT) and tissue analysis, she showed that the virus and inflammation can persist in the lungs and other organs even after the virus has cleared from the airways. She also found signs of brain inflammation. This research provides key insights into the long-term effects of COVID-19.

Collaboration and Funding

Our research is made possible through collaboration with many partners, including:

KU Leuven/Rega Institute (Belgium)
Janssen Vaccines and Prevention B.V. (Netherlands)
CNB-CSIC (Spain)
Biofabri (Spain)
Bavarian Nordic (Germany and Denmark)
Aarhus University and University of Copenhagen (Denmark)
AdaptVac (Denmark)
Mymetics SA (Switzerland)
University of Bern (Switzerland)
University Hospital Tübingen (Germany)
Speransa Therapeutics (Germany)
University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (Germany)
Boehringer Ingelheim (Germany)
VisMederi (Italy)