Infectious Disease Models
In Vitro and Ex Vivo Infectious Disease Models
WuXi Biology and Testing provides in vitro and ex vivo infectious disease models and virology assays to support anti-infective drug discovery across therapeutic modalities, including small molecules, biologics, peptides, vaccines, and nucleic acid-based approaches. Our capabilities include biochemical and cell-based assays, pathogen-specific screening and profiling, resistance and mechanism-of-action studies, and specialized hepatitis and respiratory virus platforms, with complementary clinical virology testing available to support later-stage development.
Antiviral Assays and Services
Our in vitro antiviral platform supports compound screening and characterization across a broad range of clinically relevant viruses, integrating cell-based, biochemical, and virological assays with resistance, combination, and mechanism-of-action studies.
Capabilities include:
- Compound screening and profiling
- Genotypic spectrum
- De novo selection of resistant virus and cross-resistance
- MOA tests
- Reverse genetic system and minigenome replicon
- Drug combination
- Serum shift
- Pan-virus selectivity
- In vivo and ex vivo efficacy
- Custom study design
- Cell-based and biochemical assays across 30+ multiple viruses: HBV, HDV, RSV, influenza, CoV, hMPV, HPIV, HRV, HIV, HSV, HCMV, EBV, Zika, dengue, Measles, EV71, etc.
Liver-Specific Viruses
We offer a broad assay platform for the discovery of agents to treat liver-specific viral infections, including services for assay establishment and validation, compound screening and characterization, and support for preclinical studies and clinical trials.
Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a severe public health burden and an unmet medical need. Current standard therapies, interferon-α and nucleot(s)ides, cannot eliminate HBV. Novel targets and therapeutic approaches continue to be explored toward a functional cure for CHB. Our HBV team, led by a group of experienced scientists with in-depth knowledge of anti-HBV drug discovery, has established and continues to provide an open-access and full-range integrated HBV platform for our clients.
Capabilities include:
- HBV stable cell lines: HepG2.2.15, HepAD38
- HBV extracellular and intracellular DNA
- HBV antigens
- HBV RNA
- Encapsidated RNA and DNA
- Capsid content
- HBV DNA constructs with transient transfection assays
- Clinical isolates covering HBV genotypes A–J
- Nucleot(s)ide- and capsid inhibitor-resistant mutants
- Phenotyping with shuttle vectors and mutant constructs
- Viral fitness
- Drug sensitivity
- PHH/HBV infectious system
- 2D PHH/HBV infection
- 3D spheroid PHH/HBV infection
- HepG2-NTCP/HBV infectious system
- Reporter cell lines
- Production of HBV from stable cell lines and transient transfection system
- Recombinant core protein expression and purification and capsid quenching assays
- Mechanism-of-action (MOA) studies
Our HCV platform supports compound screening, resistance and combination profiling, viral enzyme assays, and clinical virology testing to characterize antiviral candidates across discovery and development.
Our capabilities include:
- Compound screening: stable and transient replicons
- Drug resistance: cross-resistance, de novo resistance selection
- Genotypic spectrum
- Drug combination studies
- Serum shift studies
- Colony formation assays
- Viral enzymes assays
- Cell-based infectious assays from different genotypes
- HBV/HDV infection assays
- Target confirmation
- Neuraminidase
- Hemagglutinin
- Minigenome RNP reporter assay
- Compound screening
- Panel of H1N1, H3N2, and B strains, WT and clinical strains
- Oseltamivir, VX-787 and baloxavir resistant viruses
- Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1, H5N8 and H7N9 strains (subcontract lab)
- Different endpoint: Cell-based CPE, plaque, qPCR and HAI, neutralization test
- MDCK, A549 and 3D airway infection models
- De novo selection of drug resistance
- Virus rescue using reverse genetics system
- Serum shift and drug combination
- Target confirmation
- F based cell fusion assay
- Pre-F and post-F ELISA binding
- Minigenome RNP reporter assay
- Compound screening
- Panel of A and B strains, WT and clinical strains
- Different endpoint: Cell-based CPE, plaque reduction, ELISA, GFP reporter, qPCR and neutralization test
- HEp-2, Vero, A549 and 3D airway infection models
- De novo selection of drug resistance
- Virus rescue using reverse genetics system
- Serum shift and drug combination
- Antibody Fc-mediated effector functions: ADCC, CDC, ADCP, ADNP and ADE
- Target confirmation
- 3CLpro/Mpro, WT and mutants
- PLpro
- Spike/RBD ACE2 ELISA binding, PsV reporter assay
- Helicase
- RdRp
- Minigenome replicon assay, WT and mutants
- Compound screening
- WT, delta and omicron variants
- HCoV 229E and OC43
- Different endpoint: Cell-based CPE and qPCR
- Serum shift and drug combination
- Antibody Fc-mediated effector functions: ADCC, CDC, ADCP, and ADE
- Human proteases and polymerases selectivity
- Target confirmation
- F based cell fusion assay
- Minigenome RNP reporter assay
- Compound screening
- A and B strains
- Different endpoint: Cell-based plaque reduction, GFP reporter and neutralization test
- De novo selection of drug resistance
- Virus rescue using reverse genetics system
- Serum shift and drug combination
- HPIV type 1 to 4
- Cell-based CPE and plaque reduction assay
- HRV subtype A&B panel, cell-based CPE assays
- HRV 3C protease enzymatic assay
- HAdV-5, 14, 37 and 41, cell-based CPE or Plaque assays
Other Virus-Specific Assay Platforms
Beyond liver-specific and respiratory viruses, our in vitro antiviral platform supports compound screening and characterization across a broad range of herpes, retroviral, and other clinically relevant viruses.
Capabilities include:
- Cell-based and biochemical assays
- Compound screening and profiling
- Resistance characterization
- Drug combination studies
- Mechanism-of-action (MOA) studies
Virus-Specific Assay Capabilities
- Compound screening/profiling: HSV-1 and HSV-2
- Cell-based CPE, qPCR and reporter assays
- Helicase enzymatic assays
- De novo selection of drug resistance
- Virus rescue using BAC system
- Serum shift and drug combination
- HCMV, VZV, EBV and HHV-6
- Cell-based qPCR, ELISA and reporter assays
- De novo selection of drug resistance
- Serum shift and drug combination
View our publication: CMV polymerase antiviral inhibitors with reduced hERG inhibition
- HPV16, 18, 6, 11 VLP, 293FT cells, GFP reporter assay
- HPV16, 18, 31, cell-based replicon assay
- HPV positive cells
- HIV-1 IIIB or BaL, MT-4 cell-based CPE assay
- HIV-1 pseudovirus reporter assay
- Reference: AZT (Retrovir), TDF (Viread), RAL (Raltegravir) and DTG (Dolutegravir)
- Enteroviruses EVA71 and EVD68
- Coxsackie virus (CV): A4, A6, A10, A16 and B3
- Cell-based CPE assays
- Norovirus
- C3L (GI 1 Norwalk, GII 4 MD145) protease assays
- RdRp (nsp7) assay
- Cell-based replicon assay
- Rotavirus and Echovirus: Cell-based infection assays
- Cell-based infection assays
- Cell-based infection assays
- Zika virus
- Dengue viruses: type 1 to 4
- Compound screening: cell-based ELISA, CPE and plaque reduction assay
- RPTEC cell infection assay
- Nipah, CHIKV, Hantavirus, etc.
- PsVs and replicon systems:
Antibacterial and Antifungal Assays and Services
WuXi Biology and Testing provides in vitro microbiology assays to support antibacterial and antifungal discovery, from early screening through compound characterization and mechanism-of-action studies. Our platform supports activity assessment and compound profiling across aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, fungi, and other clinically relevant pathogens.
Capabilities include:
- Enzymatic assays, including β-lactamase, DNA polymerase, gyrase, and topoisomerase assays
- Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination
- Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) determination
- Antimicrobial spectrum profiling using standard strains and clinical isolates
- Serum shift studies
- Time-kill studies
- Post-antibiotic effect (PAE) assessment
- Drug synergy study using checkerboard assays
- Resistance studies, including frequency of resistance (FOR) and drug-induced resistance
- Mechanism-of-action (MOA) studies
- Custom assay development
Pathogen-Specific Assay Capabilities
- Antibacterial activity assessment across relevant ESKAPE pathogens
- Compound screening and characterization
- Resistance and drug combination studies
- Antibacterial activity assessment
- Opsonophagocytic assays for Streptococcus pneumoniae
- In vitro antibacterial activity assessment
- Compound characterization using relevant bacterial strains
- In vitro antibacterial activity assessment and compound characterization
- Standard strain and clinical isolate-based studies
- In vitro antimicrobial activity assessment across anaerobic conditions
- Susceptibility and compound profiling studies
- In vitro antimicrobial activity and susceptibility testing
- Compound screening and characterization
- In vitro antimicrobial activity and susceptibility testing
- Compound screening and characterization
- Antifungal activity and susceptibility testing
- Compound screening and characterization
- Standard strain and clinical isolate-based studies
Ex Vivo Antiviral Models
Ex vivo models complement conventional cell-based assays by enabling antiviral activity and mechanisms to be evaluated in primary cell and tissue systems that retain greater biological relevance. These models can support antiviral efficacy assessment and mechanistic characterization in virus-specific systems.
Capabilities include:
- Primary human hepatocyte (PHH) models using freshly isolated and cryopreserved cells
- PHH/hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection assays
- HBV/hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection assays
- 3D airway model using air-lift-culture differentiated HBEpC
- Influenza 3D airway infection model
- RSV 3D airway infection model
- HRV 3D airway infection model
- Latently infected ganglia neuron models for herpes simplex virus (HSV)
- Antiviral efficacy and mechanism-of-action (MOA) assessments
Clinical Infectious Disease Testing and Biomarkers
WuXi Biology and Testing provides infectious disease testing and biomarker services to support antiviral, antimicrobial, and vaccine programs during clinical development. Our capabilities combine virology, molecular testing, and immune response assessments to characterize infection, therapeutic response, and disease-relevant biomarkers. Our expertise covers a broad spectrum of pathogens, including, but not limited to, hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), influenza virus (IFV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and clinical microbiology.
Clinical Virology
- Viral load
- Viral genotyping
- Viral resistance
- Viral phenotyping and drug susceptibility assessment
- Serological assays
- Immunological assays
Clinical Microbiology
- Strain identification via VITEK COMPACT SYSTEM
- Broth microdilution susceptibility testing (MIC)
- Disk diffusion susceptibility testing
- Serological test for atypical pathogens: IgG/IgM testing by ELISA
Infectious Disease Biomarker Testing
- SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism)
- mRNA gene expression
- Cytokine
- Immunology markers by ELISpot and FACS
- Complement
Vaccine
- Antigen and antibody
- Neutralization antibody assays
- Cell-Mediated Immunity
- Confirmation of infection by PCR assays
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