Bioassay development for public health emergency

Schematic of bioassays of representative biomarkers at different stages of an infectious disease

The outbreak of infectious diseases often arouses public health emergencies of international concern. During the past several decades, we have witnessed the outbreaks of various epidemics and pandemics, such as AIDS, Ebola, SARS, dengue, Zika, bird flu, and particularly the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2. Bioassays have been generally regarded as the first defense for the prevention and control of infectious diseases. Given the representative course of these diseases, bioassays against certain biomarkers are suitable for distinct stages of infection in diverse scenarios.