Recent Patents on Biotechnology - Volume 16, Issue 1, 2022

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a new strain of coronavirus called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV- 2). It is the most challenging pandemic of this century. The growing COVID-19 pandemic has triggered extraordinary efforts to restrict the virus in numerous ways, owing to the emergence of SARS-CoV-2. Immunotherapy, which includes artificially stimulating the immune system to generate an immunological response, is regarded as an effective strategy for preventing and treating several infectious illnesses and malignancies. Given the pandemic's high fatality rate and quick expansion, an effective vaccination is urgently needed to keep it under control. The basic goal of all COVID-19 vaccine programs is to develop a vaccine that causes the generation of surface protein neutralizing antibodies in subjects. The epitope discovery for the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates is likewise made using an immuno-informatics methodology. It can be used to find the epitopes in viral proteins important for cytotoxic T cells and B cells. A safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine that can elicit the necessary immune response is necessary to end the epidemic. The global search for a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is yielding results. More than a dozen vaccines have already been approved around the world, with many more in the clinical trials. Patents can cover the underlying technology used to generate a vaccine, whereas trade secrets can cover manufacturing methods and procedures.

With the utilisation of algae, wastewater reuse is becoming a viable option for the energy industry, especially green energy. The growth of these algae in these wastewaters provides an alternative source for bioenergetics, however, the growth of other microorganisms can directly affect the production of bioenergy, requiring the removal and reduction of contaminants in these waters, in addition to being a source of contamination for workers. Therefore, the use of nanoparticles in bioremediation has been an alternative to mitigate the contamination of these wastewaters that have microorganisms capable of reducing the algae growth capacity. The objective of this work was to verify in the United States Patent and Trademarker office database (USPTO) patents that used chitosan nanoparticles as a form of wastewater treatment and to carry out the analysis of patent US20190134086, which addresses the use of zinc oxide nanoparticles associated with chitosan that was developed and used to evaluate their antibacterial activity against resistant microorganisms and biofilm producers present in wastewater. Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecium, and/or Pseudomonas aeruginosa are the microorganisms involved in the evaluated invention, bacteria present in the gastrointestinal tract, of clinical and environmental importance. The synthesized nanoparticles are arranged as a pharmaceutically acceptable and toxic vehicle against resistant bacteria, thus being described as nanoremediators. Given the analyzed patent, it was possible to verify the importance of alternatives to reduce the impact that pollution, in general, has on the environment, in addition to the proposed technology serving to maintain the survival and development capacity of the algae that will be able to produce green energy, the nanoparticles with antibacterial potential can help indirectly reduce these pathogenic strains with resistance to several antibiotics in the environment.

The umbilical cord blood is usually disposed of as an unwanted material after parturition; however, today, it is viewed as a regenerative medication so as to create the organ tissues. This cord blood gathered from the umbilical cord is made up of mesenchymal stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, and multipotent non-hematopoietic stem cells having many therapeutic effects as these stem cells are utilized to treat malignancies, hematological ailments, inborn metabolic problem, and immune deficiencies. Presently, numerous clinical applications for human umbilical cord blood inferred stem cells, as stem cell treatment initiate new research. These cells are showing such a boon to stem cell treatment; it is nevertheless characteristic that the prospect of conservation of umbilical cord blood is gaining impetus. Current research works have demonstrated that about 80 diseases, including cancer, can be treated or relieved utilizing umbilical cord blood stem cells, and every year, many transplants have been effectively done around the world. However, in terms of factors, including patient selection, cell preparation, dosing, and delivery process, the treatment procedure for therapy with minimally manipulated stem cells can be patented. It is also worth thinking about how this patent could affect cord blood banks. Meanwhile, the utilization of cord blood cells is controversial and adult-derived cells may not be as successful, so numerous clinicians have begun working with stem cells that are acquired from umbilical cord blood. This review epitomizes a change in outlook from what has been completed with umbilical cord blood cell research and cord blood banking on the grounds that cord blood cells do not require much in the method of handling for cryopreservation or for transplantation in regenerative medicine.

Background: Humans can be infected with various coronaviruses that can cause serious illness and death. One such pandemic strain of coronavirus was recently identified in December 2019, and it led to a devastating outbreak in Wuhan city of China. It is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS- CoV-2). It is highly contagious and causes symptoms such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Objective: The objective of this review is to highlight the current understanding, research, and therapeutic updates of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: A thorough literature search was conducted for research papers and patents in the context of COVID-19. All the related articles were extracted from various public repositories such as Google Scholar, Pubmed, ScienceDirect (Elsevier), Springer, Web of Science, etc. Results: The present analysis revealed that the key areas of the inventions were vaccines and diagnostic kits apart from developing the treatment of CoV. It was also observed that no specific vaccine treatments were available for the treatment of 2019-nCov; therefore, developing novel chemical or biological drugs and kits for early diagnosis, prevention, and disease management is the primary governing topic among the patented inventions. The present study also indicates potential research opportunities for the future, particularly to combat 2019-nCoV. The current focus of the researches has turned towards developing four potential treatments, including the development of candidate vaccines, development of novel potential drugs, repurposing of existing drugs, and development of convalescent plasma therapy. The PCR based diagnosis is the gold standard for the COVID-19 testing, but it requires resource time, expertise, and high associated cost; hence researchers are also developing different diagnostic methods for the COVID-19. Although vaccines are being developed by various companies and have passed the pre-clinical stages but there still exists no guarantee for these to come into effect. The current treatments that are being used for COVID-19 patients are not well established and have shown limited success. Conclusion: The pandemic has challenged the medical, economic, and public health infrastructure across the globe. There is an urgent need to explore all available and possible methods/ approaches to study this disease for drug and vaccine development at the earliest.

The world continues to be in the midst of a distressing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel virus with multiple antigenic systems. The virus enters via nasopharynx, oral and infects cells by the expression of the spike protein, and enters the lungs using the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 receptor. The spectrum of specific immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 virus infection is increasingly challenging as frequent mutations have been reported and their antigen specificity varies accordingly. The development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) will have a more significant advantage in suppressing SARS-CoV-2 virus infectivity. Recently, mAbs have been developed to target included specific neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 infection. The use of the therapeutic index of mAbs that can elicit neutralization by binding to the viral spike protein and suppress the cytokine network is a classic therapeutic approach for a potential cure. The development of mAbs against B-cell function as well as inhibition of the cytokine network has also been a focus in recent research. Recent studies have demonstrated the efficacy of mAbs as antibody cocktail preparations against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Target specific therapeutic accomplishment with mAbs, a milestone in the modern therapeutic age, can be used to achieve a specific therapeutic strategy to suppress SARS-CoV-2 virus infection. This review focuses on the molecular aspects of the cytokine network and antibody formation to better understand the development of mAbs against SARS- CoV-2 infection along with recent patents.