Methods of inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 for downstream biological assays

Patterson, Edward I.; Prince, Tessa; Anderson, Enyia R.; Casas-Sanchez, Aitor; Smith, Shirley L.; Cansado-Utrilla, Cintia; Turtle, Lance; Hughes, Grant L.

The scientific community has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by rapidly undertaking research to find effective strategies to reduce the burden of this disease. Encouragingly, researchers from a diverse array of fields are collectively working towards this goal. Research with infectious SARS-CoV-2 is undertaken in high containment laboratories, however, it is often desirable to work with samples at lower containment levels. To facilitate the transfer of infectious samples from high containment laboratories, we have tested methods commonly used to inactivate virus and prepare the sample for additional experiments. Incubation at 80°C, and a range of detergents and UV energies were successful at inactivating a high titre of SARS-CoV-2. These protocols can provide a framework for in house inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 in other laboratories, ensuring the safe use of samples in lower containment levels.