Under the direction of Academician Nanshan Zhong, Professor Jincun Zhao’s team worked with the State Key Laboratory of Biosafety Testing (P3 Laboratory) of Guangzhou Customs Technology Center, the University of Iowa, Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory, the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and jointly released the research finding titled “Generation of a Broadly Useful Model for COVID-19 Pathogenesis Vaccination, and Treatment” on Cell on June 10. The adenovirus expressing 2019-nCoV receptor human ACE2 was transduced to the mouse, allowing its liver to express human ACE2 protein, quickly establishing the first non-transgenic mouse model of COVID-19. This animal model can be applied to COVID-19 drug effect evaluation, vaccine effect testing and pathogenesis research.

In comparison to traditional receptor transgenic mouse models, this model has a short construction cycle. With no need of breeding, it’s suitable for large-scale expansion within a short period of time. This model has effectively eased the problem of China’s lack of animal models in 2019-nCoV research, and contributed to urgent in vivo verification and pathogenesis research of China’s antiviral drugs and protective neutralizing antibodies and vaccines. This animal model has been shared with multiple units in China, effectively resolving the problem of China’s lack of animal models of 2019-nCoV.