Bio-Techne Continues to Expand Its Portfolio to Support SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research and Therapeutic Development

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Jun 09, 2020, 07:00 ET

MINNEAPOLIS, June 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bio-Techne Corporation (NASDAQ:TECH) is at the forefront of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and SARS-CoV-2 research. This is evidenced by the large number of published research papers on the subject that have cited Bio-Techne products, including the breakthrough Cell paper by Hoffmann et al., which used the R&D Systems^™-branded Anti-Human ACE-2 Antibody to demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 uses ACE-2 as a cell entry receptor. Additionally, the ProteinSimple^™-branded Ella^™, an automated immunoassay platform, and its COVID-19 Cytokine Storm Panel are being used by the Human Immune Monitoring Center at Mt. Sinai in New York City to monitor the immunological response in real time during COVID-19. Today, the company announced its ongoing efforts to develop new SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 research tools that will provide support for virus analysis and identification, and the production of therapies and vaccines. "With multiple brands and thousands of products in our portfolio tailored to the study and diagnosis of diseases, we are uniquely positioned to propel the understanding of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and assist in developing COVID-19 treatments," commented Kim Kelderman, President of Bio-Techne's Diagnostics and Genomics Segment.

Bio-Techne's Advanced Cell Diagnostics (ACD) brand has developed new RNAscope^™ probes for the COVID-19 coronavirus. Several of these probes have already been cited in high impact publications by Chandrashekar et al., Liu et al., Puelles et al., and Patane et al. The RNAscope platform is an advanced in situ hybridization assay that enables visualization of single-molecule gene expression with single-cell resolution directly in intact tissues. These new probes will allow researchers to visualize and estimate the viral load in any tissue and cell with morphological context. Bio-Techne's ACD brand also offers probes for ACE-2, TMPRSS2, and Cathepsin B and L for identifying cell types that may be vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The RNAscope probes can also be used in combination with immunohistochemistry-validated antibodies from the R&D Systems and Novus Biologicals brands to detect viral and host cell proteins. Accordingly, RNAscope and the Novus Biologicals^™-branded Anti-SARS-Nucleoprotein Antibody were used in a recently published Science paper to detect virus-infected cells in lung parenchyma of SARS-CoV-2- infected Rhesus macaques.

Bio-Techne also offers innovative tools that will help drive the development of vaccines and therapies for COVID-19. Scientists are utilizing two avenues for developing COVID-19 treatments: the creation of new COVID-19 vaccines and the repurposing of existing drugs. There is an urgent need to create a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 as it is believed to be the best hope for ending the pandemic. Bio-Techne's ProteinSimple^™-branded Simple Western^™ systems, which are routinely employed in vaccine development, will be key for developing and manufacturing a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The Simple Western system is the only gel-free, blot-free, hands-free capillary-based immunoassay platform on the market. During vaccine development, this platform can be used for antigen-down serological assays, characterizing proteins as part of a vaccine, monitoring vaccine component expression, and quantitating vaccine contamination. In addition, Bio-Techne's R&D Systems and Novus Biologicals brands are continually releasing new SARS-CoV-2-related recombinant proteins that can support binding and drug development studies.

Scientists are also investigating the possibility of using existing drugs to treat COVID-19, as that strategy could offer a faster timeline for managing COVID-19. Bio-Techne's Tocris brand has numerous small molecules that have the potential to be repurposed for COVID-19 therapeutics research. Additionally, Tocris has now released a new Tocriscreen^™ library of 190 FDA-approved drugs that is ideal for in vitro and in vivo drug repurposing/repositioning studies. Dave Eansor, President of Bio-Techne's Protein Sciences Segment commented, "COVID-19 research and drug development is progressing at an unprecedented pace as the scientific community searches for a cure. Bio-Techne is continually expanding its portfolio in order to provide scientists with the critical tools they need."

The complete portfolio of products for SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 research from all the Bio-Techne brands can be found on the R&D Systems website.

Researchers at Arkana labs used the RNAscope 2.5 HD Brown assay to visualize SARS-CoV-2 spike protein RNA in the placental tissue of a COVID-19 positive patient in the second trimester to further support studies that distinguish the physiological effects of pre-eclampsia and COVID-19 for better prognosis of infected pregnant women.

About Bio-Techne Corporation (NASDAQ:TECH)

Contact: David Clair, Senior Director, Investor Relations & Corporate Development
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SOURCE Bio-Techne Corporation