Level up for culture models - How 3D cell culture models benefit SARS-CoV-2 research

Abstract

Welcome to a new decade and a new issue of the Biomedical Journal - casting a sorrowful look onto a year that will go down in history as a tombstone etched by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also a hopeful glance into the future, now that multiple vaccination programs against the SARS-CoV-2 virus have started. This issue is dedicated to the continuous effort by researchers all around the globe to understand and counter the pathogen, as well as to be better prepared for future threats. Therefore, we learn about the advantages of complex 3D cell culture models for studying host-virus interactions, and the disease course of COVID-19 in children. Moreover, we discover how neutralising monoclonal antibodies and peptide-based vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 are developed, and the therapeutic potentials of lopinavir/ritonavir, mesenchymal stem cells, as well as plant and algae extracts. Finally, we ponder over the lessons to be learnt from SARS-CoV and MERS, and hear about differences between nucleotide-based SARS-CoV-2 detection methods.

Keywords: 3D cell culture models; COVID-19; Neutralising monoclonal antibodies; SARS-CoV-2; Synthetic peptide-based vaccines.

Fig. 1

The different levels of 3D cell culture models and their usefulness to study SARS-CoV-2 infection. 3D cell culture models range from spherical agglomerations of one cell type to complex mimics of organs obtained through the colonisation of bioprinted extracellular matrices with stem cells, which recapitulate the chemical, mechanical, and physical properties of infectious diseases. Figure kindly provided by de Melo et al. [9]. See main article for details.