MERS-CoV Research Project Won the Third Prize of the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award

The project "Aetiological and Immunological Research of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus and the Application of Key Technologies for its Prevention and Control", submitted by research teams headed by Research Fellow Tan Wenjie from the National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC, and Prof. Zhao Jincun from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, won the third prize of the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award 2022.

 

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a highly pathogenic human coronavirus discovered in the Middle East in 2012, with a fatality rate of approximately 35 percent.

 

To effectively prevent and control potential MERS and other highly pathogenic human coronavirus outbreaks in China, this project established genome sequencing and nucleic acid/antibody detection methods based on MERS-CoV. They successfully isolated the MERS-CoV strain (ChinaGD01) and elucidated its pathogenic and immunological characteristics and mechanisms, conducted vaccine development work, and established a broad-spectrum antiviral drug screening platform based on MERS-CoV. 

 

After an imported MERS occurred in China in 2015, the team quickly determined its source and molecular variations, providing crucial scientific evidence for the development of prevention and control strategies in China and the World Health Organization.

 

The team took the lead in establishing a comprehensive prevention and control technology platform for MERS-CoV in China, demonstrating its effectiveness in the control and prevention of viral disease induced by highly pathogenic human coronaviruses.