Academia Sinica yesterday said that its researchers have developed an antibody testing method for COVID-19 and have made progress synthesizing remdesivir, a medicine that many believe could cure the infection.
The Centers for Disease Control on Tuesday sent serum samples to Academia Sinica of three people who had contact with Taiwan’s first COVID-19 fatality, as part of an effort to determine the source of that infection.
The three had tested negative for RNA viruses, but the centers hoped to discover if they had developed antibodies.
Photo courtesy of Academia Sinica
Test results showed that only one sample had antibodies for COVID-19 and SARS, Academia Sinica Institute of Biomedical Sciences research fellow Lin Yi-ling (林宜玲) said.
The sample was obtained from a Taiwanese businessperson who was not listed as a confirmed case, because their immune system beat the virus, she said.
Little is known about COVID-19, so it is still a mystery whether a person who has recovered from it can contract it again, she added.
The method is useful in tracing the transmission chain of a certain case, Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology Director Wu Shu-hsing (吳素幸) said, but added that testing for RNA viruses tells whether a person contracts COVID-19.
Using molecular biology and genetic engineering, Wu said that she pieced together plasmids — a kind of DNA for expressing antigens — in small templates to make up longer series of plasmids for producing the antigens used to test for COVID-19, SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome antibodies.
Ordering massive plasmid series from overseas manufacturers takes two to three weeks, Lin said, praising Wu’s team for only needing a week.
After Institute of Biological Chemistry associate research fellow Ho Meng-chiao (何孟樵) purified the nucleocapsid protein of COVID-19 for making reagents, Lin used the western blot method to place the antigens in a serum sample for testing antibody reactions, she said.
Another team led by Institute of Chemistry associate research fellow Chein Rong-jie (陳榮傑) succeeded in synthesizing 100mg of remdesivir in two weeks.
Unable to obtain the raw materials in time, they used materials on hand and molecule synthesis, referencing public-domain literature, to make the drug, which on Thursday was 97 percent as pure as the original, Chein said.
Before the centers tasked them with the mission, Academia Sinica President James Liao (廖俊智) last month formed a task force to speed up the development of antigens, antibodies, drugs and vaccines for COVID-19.
The synthesized drug cannot be used without the consent of the US pharmaceutical firm that manufactures remdesivir, Liao said.
Nonetheless, the achievement showed that Academia Sinica is capable of drug synthesis and could facilitate mass production of the drug after a technology transfer has been completed, he added.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
DEFENSIVE EDGE: The liaison officer would work with Taiwan on drones and military applications for other civilian-developed technologies, a source said A Pentagon unit tasked with facilitating the US military’s adoption of new technology is soon to deploy officials to dozens of friendly nations, including Taiwan, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is to send a representative to collaborate with Taiwan on drones and military applications from the semiconductor industry by the end of the year, the British daily reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “Drones will certainly be a focus, but they will also be looking at connecting to the broader civilian and dual-use ecosystem, including the tech sector,” one source was
RSS