COVID-19 Research Tools

Chondrex Inc. is committed to supporting researchers around the world fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent publications have reported that severe cases of COVID-19 elicit a cytokine storm, which is defined as an excessive immune response to external stimuli (1,2). The cytokine storm elicits a complex pathogenesis which leads to severe health deterioration and increased mortality rate (1,2). Currently, therapies that can dampen the cytokine storm are of great interest (1-3), but more research is needed on these therapies in the context of COVID-19. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) are a straightforward, cost-effective analytical tool that provides both the specificity and sensitivity required for the study of cytokine dynamics in COVID-19 research (4). 

Chondrex Inc. provides high quality Cytokine Detection ELISA Kits and immunoassay buffers that can assist in SARS-CoV-2 research. Our ChonBlock ELISA Buffers are designed specifically to eliminate non-specific reactions that cause high background values in indirect ELISAs (13). The high blocking capacity of ChonBlock is ideal for assaying samples with unknown histories since high background values observed in some pathological conditions can lead to misinterpreted results (14,15). More information on how ChonBlock works, as well as an ELISA troubleshooting FAQ, can be found on our blog. If you have any questions about using ChonBlock in your assay or any questions about when your order can ship, please contact us.

Additionally, High-Mobility Group Box Protein 1 (HMGB1) has been suggested as a therapeutic target for COVID-19 (16). Our HMGB1 Detection Kit is a well referenced, reliable ELISA kit that can be used to study the role of HMGB1 in COVID-19.

The table below shows COVID-19 relevant research products Chondrex Inc. offers. This list has been carefully selected and relevant research publications have been referenced. Due to COVID-19 we are currently shipping on a reduced schedule, but we are prioritizing shipping for COVID-19 research. Please email us at support@chondrex.com if you have any questions concerning shipping. If you would like to try one of the products, we offer 50% trial discounts for the first-time purchase of one of our products.

References

1. Ye Q, Wang B, Mao J. The pathogenesis and treatment of the `Cytokine Storm' in COVID-19. J Infect. 10, pii: S0163-4453(20)30165-1. (2020) PubMed PMID: 32283152
2. Mehta P, McAuley DF, Brown M, Sanchez E, Tattersall RS, Manson JJ. COVID-19: consider cytokine storm syndromes and immunosuppression. Lancet. 28;395(10229):1033-1034. (2020) PubMed PMID: 32192578
3. McGonagle D, Sharif K, O'Regan A, Bridgewood C. The Role of Cytokines including Interleukin-6 in COVID-19 induced Pneumonia and Macrophage Activation Syndrome-Like Disease. Autoimmun Rev. 3:102537. (2020) PubMed PMID:32251717
4. Chiswick EL, Duffy E, Japp B, Remick D. Detection and quantification of cytokines and other biomarkers. Methods Mol Biol. 844:15-30. (2012) PubMed PMID: 22262432
5. Zhang R, Wang X, Ni L, Di X, Ma B, Niu S, Liu C, Reiter RJ. COVID-19: Melatonin as a potential adjuvant treatment. Life Sci. 23;250:117583. (2020) PubMed PMID:32217117
6. Wang H, Ward MF, Fan XG, Sama AE, Li W. Potential role of high mobility group box 1 in viral infectious diseases. Viral Immunol. 19(1):3-9. (2006) PubMed PMID: 16553546
7. Luft, F.C. High-mobility group box 1 protein, angiotensins, ACE2, and target organ damage. J Mol Med 94:1–3 (2016) PubMed PMID: 26658521
8. Zheng HY, Zhang M, Yang CX, Zhang N, Wang XC, Yang XP, Dong XQ, Zheng YT. Elevated exhaustion levels and reduced functional diversity of T cells in peripheral blood may predict severe progression in COVID-19 patients. Cell Mol Immunol. (2020) PubMed PMID: 32203186
9. Schett G, Sticherling M, Neurath MF. COVID-19: risk for cytokine targeting in chronic inflammatory diseases? Nat Rev Immunol. (2020) PubMed PMID: 32296135
10. Sarzi-Puttini P, Giorgi V, Sirotti S, Marotto D, Ardizzone S, Rizzardini G, Antinori S, Galli M. COVID-19, cytokines and immunosuppression: what can we learn from severe acute respiratory syndrome? Clin Exp Rheumatol. 38(2):337-342. (2020) PubMed PMID: 32202240
11. Thevarajan I, Nguyen THO, Koutsakos M, Druce J, Caly L, van de Sandt CE, Jia X, Nicholson S, Catton M, Cowie B, Tong SYC, Lewin SR, Kedzierska K. Breadth of concomitant immune responses prior to patient recovery: a case report of non-severe COVID-19. Nat Med .26:453–455 (2020) PubMed PMID: 32284614
12. Russell B, Moss C, George G, Santaolalla A, Cope A, Papa S, Van Hemelrijck M.  Associations between immune-suppressive and stimulating drugs and novel COVID-19-a systematic review of current evidence. E cancer medical science. 14:1022. (2020)  PubMed PMID: 32256705
13. Waritani T, Chang J, McKinney B, Terato K. An ELISA protocol to improve the accuracy and reliability of serological antibody assays. MethodsX. 4:153-165 (2017) PubMed PMID: 28417081
14. Terato K, Do C, Chang J, Waritani T.  Preventing further misuse of the ELISA technique and misinterpretation of serological antibody assay data. Vaccine 34(39):4643-4644 (2016) PubMed PMID: 27506498
15. Terato K, Do CT, Cutler D, Waritani T, Shionoya H. Preventing intense false positive and negative reactions attributed to the principle of ELISA to re-investigate antibody studies in autoimmune diseases. J Immunol Methods 407:15-25 (2014) PubMed PMID:24681241
16. Andersson U, Ottestad W, Tracey KJ. Extracellular HMGB1: a therapeutic target in severe pulmonary inflammation including COVID-19? Molecular Medicine. 26:4 (2020). PubMed PMID: 32380958