Viral Indications

Our team has extensive worldwide expertise with viral indications that include COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2), hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), human papillomavirus HPV, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), metapneumovirus, parainfluenza virus, SARS-CoV-1, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), dengue, chikungunya, and more. Some of our viral indications are rare (1), such as pulmonary aspergillosis, pulmonary tuberculosis, and more. 

Through collaborations with a broad network of reputable organizations within the fields of (bio)pharmaceuticals and molecular testing, we supported the development of antiviral therapies for viruses such as:

Vaccines And Disease Prevention  

We’ve done and continue to perform extensive work in preventing COVID-19, influenza, RSV, chikungunya, dengue, and more. This includes robust expertise with pandemic vaccines surveillance (2-4). infectious disease (ID) / virology laboratories globally with Cerba Research NL, our virology center of excellence. Get in touch to learn more.

Bacterial Infections

Apart from antiviral and viral vaccine testing, we offer analysis solutions for bacterial strains through microbiome analysis by 16S rRNA profiling and bacterial whole genome sequencing to enhance the clinical development of antibacterial therapies.

We also have experience running various trials for bacterial infection indications that target Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, Mycobacterium avium complex, Group B streptococcal infection, and diarrhea with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, among other infections.

Global Surveillance Programs And Publications

Cerba Research participates in global surveillance programs to monitor and characterize novel virus threats to human and animal health, such as the European management platform for emerging and re-emerging ID entities (5). Additional research programs focus on:

• Genomics / genomics
• Biomarker discovery
• Correlates of protection
• Viral reference strain development

Did you know that Cerba Research scientists are highly published? The highest impact journals where Cerba Research authors recently published are Nature (6) and Lancet Microbe (3, 7, 8). In addition, Cerba Research has consistently published close to 30 publications each year across the therapy area since 2018. Review our publication track record here.

A Unique Footprint In South Africa

Our South African facilities and capabilities have been established for over 25 years. With offices in Durban, Cape Town, and Johannesburg, we are uniquely positioned to respond to emerging trends in infectious diseases on the African continent.  Collaborating with government health agencies, non-profit organizations (NPHOs), and clinical research organizations (CROs) from routine testing to specialized testing which comprises:

• Safety laboratory
• PBMC processing
• Speciality molecular testing
• Tuberculosis P3 laboratory
• Part of the WHO global action plan (GAPIII)
• Biobanking facility

Our Footprint In PBMC Isolation

PBMCs are a subset of white blood cells that are extracted from whole blood and made up of T-cells (lymphocytes and monocytes). Having the right laboratory partner with knowledge and experience in implementing PBMC collection and processing is vital for your ID trial. Cerba Research has a network of labs and certified processors (45+):

• A uniform PBMC protocol for clients
• A solid and expandable network
• A global logistic network
• Uniformity of materials and components
• Superb clinical trial operations leadership & support

Need to know what you want to do with the PBMC, as the downstream biomarker assays are important in determining the:

• Number of PBMCs needed
• Need to minimize assay variation
• Cold chain requirements

Immunogenicity In ID Trials

Our clients are supported from pre-clinical to post-market authorization with our in-depth biologics and biosimilars experience. We offer long-standing scientific expertise in pharmacokinetics (PK) and immunogenicity (antibody-drug antibodies (ADAs) and neutralizing antibodies (NAbs)) with a standardized or a customized approach as per your vision.

Did you know that Cerba Research Canada was instrumental in the PK and immunogenicity validation and implementation of interferon alfacon-1? A protein-like immunostimulant approved globally for hepatitis C. Our focus extends from virus-like drug conjugates, cell and gene therapies (CGT), monoclonal antibodies (mAb), and more. In addition, we are good laboratory practice (GLP), college of American pathologists (CAP), clinical laboratory improvement amendments (CLIA) accredited for your regulatory requirements.

References

1. Orphanet: The portal for rare diseases and orphan drugs. URL [https://www.orpha.net].

2. Manak M, Gagnon L, Phay-Tran S, Levesque-Damphousse P, Fabie A, Daugan M, Khan ST, Proud P, Hussey B, Knott D, Charlton S, Hallis B, Medigeshi GK, Garg N, Anantharaj A, Raqib R, Sarker P, Alam MM, Rahman M, Murreddu M, Balgobind A, Hofman R, Grappi S, Coluccio R, Calandro P, Montomoli E, Mattiuzzo G, Prior S, Le Duff Y, Page M, Mitchell J, Schwartz LM, Bartsch YC, Azizi A, Bernasconi V; CEPI CLN Study Group. Standardised quantitative assays for anti-SARS-CoV-2 immune response used in vaccine clinical trials by the CEPI Centralized Laboratory Network: a qualification analysis. Lancet Microbe. 2024 Jan 23:S2666-5247(23)00324-5. doi: 10.1016/S2666-5247(23)00324-5. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38278167.

3. Manry J, Bastard P, Gervais A, Le Voyer T, Rosain J, Philippot Q, Michailidis E, Hoffmann HH, Eto S, Garcia-Prat M, Bizien L, Parra-Martínez A, Yang R, Haljasmägi L, Migaud M, Särekannu K, Maslovskaja J, de Prost N, Tandjaoui-Lambiotte Y, Luyt CE, Amador-Borrero B, Gaudet A, Poissy J, Morel P, Richard P, Cognasse F, Troya J, Trouillet-Assant S, Belot A, Saker K, Garçon P, Rivière JG, Lagier JC, Gentile S, Rosen L, Shaw E, Morio T, Tanaka J, Dalmau D, Tharaux PL, Sene D, Stepanian A, Mégarbane B, Triantafyllia V, Fekkar A, Heath J, Franco J, Anaya JM, Solé-Violán J, Imberti L, Biondi A, Bonfanti P, Castagnoli R, Delmonte O, Zhang Y, Snow A, Holland S, Biggs C, Moncada-Vélez M, Arias A, Lorenzo L, Boucherit S, Anglicheau D, Planas A, Haerynck F, Duvlis S, Nussbaum R, Ozcelik T, Keles S, Bousfiha A, El Bakkouri J, Ramirez-Santana C, Paul S, Pan-Hammarstrom Q, Hammarstrom L, Dupont A, Kurolap A, Metz C, Aiuti A, Casari G, Lampasona V, Ciceri F, Barreiros L, Dominguez-Garrido E, Vidigal M, Zatz M, van de Beek D, Sahanic S, Tancevski I, Stepanovskyy Y, Boyarchuk O, Nukui Y, Tsumura M, Vidaur L, Tangye S, Burrel S, Duffy D, Quintana-Murci L, Klocperk A, Kann N, Shcherbina A, Lau YL, Leung D, Coulongeat M, Marlet J, Koning R, Reyes L, Chauvineau-Grenier A, Venet F, Monneret G, Nussenzweig M, Arrestier R, Boudhabhay I, Baris-Feldman H, Hagin D, Wauters J, Meyts I, Dyer A, Kennelly S, Bourke N, Halwani R, Sharif-Askari F, Dorgham K, Sallette J, Mehlal-Sedkaoui S, AlKhater S, Rigo-Bonnin R, Morandeira F, Roussel L, Vinh D, Erikstrup C, Condino-Neto A, Prando C, Bondarenko A, Spaan A, Gilardin L, Fellay J, Lyonnet S, Bilguvar K, Lifton R, Mane S, Anderson M, Boisson B, Béziat V, Zhang SY, Andreakos E, Hermine O, Pujol A, Peterson P, Mogensen TH, Rowen L, Mond J, Debette S, deLamballerie X, Burdet C, Bouadma L, Zins M, Soler-Palacin P, Colobran R, Gorochov G, Solanich X, Susen S, Martinez-Picado J, Raoult D, Vasse M, Gregersen P, Rodríguez-Gallego C, Piemonti L, Notarangelo L, Su H, Kisand K, Okada S, Puel A, Jouanguy E, Rice C, Tiberghien P, Zhang Q, Casanova JL, Abel L, Cobat A. The risk of COVID-19 death is much greater and age-dependent with type I IFN autoantibodies. Res Sq [Preprint]. 2022 Jan 14:rs.3.rs-1225906. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-1225906/v1. Update in: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 May 24;119(21):e2200413119. PMID: 35043109; PMCID: PMC8764723.

4. Le Vu S, Jones G, Anna F, Rose T, Richard JB, Bernard-Stoecklin S, Goyard S, Demeret C, Helynck O, Escriou N, Gransagne M, Petres S, Robin C, Monnet V, Perrin de Facci L, Ungeheuer MN, Léon L, Guillois Y, Filleul L, Charneau P, Lévy-Bruhl D, van der Werf S, Noel H. Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in France: results from nationwide serological surveillance. Nat Commun. 2021 May 21;12(1):3025. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-23233-6. PMID: 34021152; PMCID: PMC8140151.

5. European Commission: European Management Platform for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious disease Entities. URL [European Management Platform for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious disease Entities | EMPERIE | Project | Fact sheet | FP7 | CORDIS | European Commission (europa.eu)].

6. Muñoz-Fontela C, Dowling WE, Funnell SGP, Gsell PS, Riveros-Balta AX, Albrecht RA, Andersen H, Baric RS, Carroll MW, Cavaleri M, Qin C, Crozier I, Dallmeier K, de Waal L, de Wit E, Delang L, Dohm E, Duprex WP, Falzarano D, Finch CL, Frieman MB, Graham BS, Gralinski LE, Guilfoyle K, Haagmans BL, Hamilton GA, Hartman AL, Herfst S, Kaptein SJF, Klimstra WB, Knezevic I, Krause PR, Kuhn JH, Le Grand R, Lewis MG, Liu WC, Maisonnasse P, McElroy AK, Munster V, Oreshkova N, Rasmussen AL, Rocha-Pereira J, Rockx B, Rodríguez E, Rogers TF, Salguero FJ, Schotsaert M, Stittelaar KJ, Thibaut HJ, Tseng CT, Vergara-Alert J, Beer M, Brasel T, Chan JFW, García-Sastre A, Neyts J, Perlman S, Reed DS, Richt JA, Roy CJ, Segalés J, Vasan SS, Henao-Restrepo AM, Barouch DH. Animal models for COVID-19. Nature. 2020 Oct;586(7830):509-515. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2787-6. Epub 2020 Sep 23. PMID: 32967005; PMCID: PMC8136862.

7. Mykytyn AZ, Rosu ME, Kok A, Rissmann M, van Amerongen G, Geurtsvankessel C, de Vries RD, Munnink BBO, Smith DJ, Koopmans MPG, Lamers MM, Fouchier RAM, Haagmans BL. Antigenic mapping of emerging SARS-CoV-2 omicron variants BM.1.1.1, BQ.1.1, and XBB.1. Lancet Microbe. 2023 May;4(5):e294-e295. doi: 10.1016/S2666-5247(22)00384-6. Epub 2023 Jan 16. Erratum in: Lancet Microbe. 2023 Mar;4(3):e136. PMID: 36657480; PMCID: PMC9842387.

8. Wahid R, Mercer LD, De Leon T, DeAntonio R, Sáez-Llorens X, Macadam A, Chumakov K, Strating J, Koel B, Konopka-Anstadt JL, Oberste MS, Burns CC, Andino R, Tritama E, Bandyopadhyay AS, Aguirre G, Rüttimann R, Gast C, Konz JO. Genetic and phenotypic stability of poliovirus shed from infants who received novel type 2 or Sabin type 2 oral poliovirus vaccines in Panama: an analysis of two clinical trials. Lancet Microbe. 2022 Dec;3(12):e912-e921. doi: 10.1016/S2666-5247(22)00254-3. Epub 2022 Nov 1. PMID: 36332645; PMCID: PMC9712124.