Abstract

Soon after SARS-CoV-2 was recognised as a pandemic threat, we set out to establish a pre-clinical pipeline at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. A high-throughput, low-cost method for the assessment of compounds targeting SARS-CoV-2 was quickly validated. This method was deployed to screen thousands of compounds and was used to study synergistic drug interactions. We have continued to develop more advanced models of infection, using various host-cell types as well as advanced, dynamic-flow organoid infection model systems. In parallel, we have also developed an advanced model of transmission to assess the activity of technologies targeting aerosolised SARS-CoV-2. Through partnership with the Infection Innovation Consortium (iiCON), hosted at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, we have been able to provide industrial partners, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with access to these experimental platforms. This model for access has provided SMEs with essential data, without the requirement for investment in biological safety level 3 infrastructure. Data generated have helped industrial partners secure Innovate UK funding. The pre-clinical platforms, originally accessed via iiCON, now form the basis of a comprehensive programme to identify, prioritise and validate candidates suitable for phase I and phase II trials.