Development and use of relevant hamster and mouse SARS-COV-2 infection models to aid in the design of therapeutic and prophylactic options for COVID-19

In some patients, COVID-19 progresses from an initially mild viral syndrome to a severe and life-threatening multi-system disorder with cytokine storm. This coronavirus pandemic is putting healthcare systems worldwide under unprecedented and increasing pressure. Efficient vaccines as well antiviral (small molecules and biologicals) and anti-inflammatory drugs are urgently needed. Given the emergency, the repurposing of small molecules and/or biologicals with proven effect and safety in humans against other indications, offer the best chance for rapid success. To speed up translation to the clinic, the consortium is building innovative animal models for COVID-19 to assess the effectiveness of vaccines, antiviral & antiinflammatory strategies in various disease phases of COVID-19.