USU hamsters sent to Belgium for COVID-19 trials
Genetically engineered Golden Syrian hamsters from Utah State University were recently shipped to Belgium to help in COVID-19 vaccine trials.
The USU research team, headed by Dr. Zhongde Wang, has collaborated with the team in Belgium on a variety of different studies. The Belgian team licensed the unique hamster models developed by Wang’s lab.
Wang, who is a professor at USU in the Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, said he is “particularly interested in understanding the pathogenesis of the diseases caused by viral or bacterial infections.”
With the pressing nature of the pandemic, his team turned their attention to fighting COVID-19. In this study, hamsters played a key role.
“Hamsters are more susceptible to SARS-2 than many other rodents tested, including the commonly used laboratory mice,” Wang said.
His team made additional genetic modifications that led to heightened susceptibility in the hamsters. The heightened susceptibility made them develop similar diseases to what is observed in human patients with COVID-19.
Genetically engineered animals are often key to conducting research studies. According to Wang, they are crucial in understanding human diseases, as well as developing new treatments and vaccines. He explained that these studies may lead to saving human lives, and will have profound impacts on public health.
Wang added that “in order to study how a genetic mutation causes human diseases, the same mutation needs to be introduced to animals through genetic engineering.”
Viruses target specific receptors of human cells, he said, making it necessary to genetically engineer the animals to have the same receptors in order to study their impact.
“I got into this field because of my great interest in science and genetic engineering and my great passion in helping people,” Wang said.
His animal models are being used to speed up the development of antivirals and vaccines, which aids in combating many human health concerns, not just the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wang is also the president and Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of Auratus Bio, a biotech company specializing in animal genetic engineering. His research team has focused on pursuing a better understanding of the epigenetics of stem cells through the development of novel genetically engineered animal models. His laboratory has worked on a variety of projects in order to better understand issues ranging from viral infections to cardiovascular disease.