Combating the Corona Virus with Regensburg High-Tech
2bind GmbH settled at BioPark Regensburg is one of the worldwide leading service providers for biophysical analysis in the field of the development of active substances. The rapidly growing company works together successfully with seven of the top 10 leading pharma companies and top-notch universities such as MIT and Stanford University. Based on its proven expertise 2bind is considerably involved in a research project that uses high-tech in the search for a potential active substance. This is led by Gernot Längst, cofounder of 2bind GmbH and Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Regensburg. Supported by computer models and artificial intelligence (AI) the nucleocapsid protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is being tested. This is responsible for packaging the virus RNA correctly into the virus particle. If it is successful in interrupting this process the virus multiplication would also be stopped.
The project on the development of a COVID-19 medicine is being supported by the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine (ITEM), Working Group Dr. Kamran Honarnejad (High throughput drug and target discovery) and the Working Group of Ralf Wagner, Professor of Molecular Biology (Virology), Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene located at the University Hospital, “In Regensburg a highly-regarded biotechnology location has arisen”, explained Dr. Thomas Schubert, Managing Director of 2bind GmbH. “The ideal position of the BioPark directly on the university campus simplifies direct collaboration between research groups and companies in complex projects like ours enormously”, underlined Längst.
Whilst ITEM is searching for candidates as active substances in a substance library with thousands of substances by means of high throughput in cellular test systems, both 2bind GmbH as well as Prof. Längst’s Working Group are concentrating on the biochemical and biophysical characterization of active substance candidates predicted by AI. “Of the first 10 substances that we have received from Prof. Längst’s laboratory as candidates full of potential, three nevertheless inhibit multiplication of the virus in cell culture”, stated Prof. Wagner. “We are enthusiastic about the dynamics of the interaction and the project progress and hope that we can make a decisive contribution in achieving the development of a new medicine to combat COVID-19”, concluded Prof. Längst.
