The COVID-19 Protein Portal

The COVID-19 Protein Portal allows UK scientists to access protein reagents for critical research relating to SARS-CoV-2. Protein reagents are provided free of charge by a consortium of leading protein production laboratories, in an Open Science initiative led by Wellcome and UKRI.In response to the urgent need for COVID-19 therapeutics, vaccines and diagnostics, many expert UK scientists are working to understand the fundamental biology of SARS-CoV-2. Reliable robust protein reagents are crucial to such research, but can be challenging and time consuming to produce, especially under restricted working conditions.To facilitate vital research on SARS-CoV-2, Wellcome and UKRI have brought together a consortium of leading centres of protein engineering and production to launch the COVID-19 Protein Portal. The COVID-19 Protein Production Consortium (CPPC) is made up of expert scientists from founding institutes including Diamond Light Source, the Rosalind Franklin Institute, the Francis Crick Institute, the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit (MRC-PPU) and MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (MRC-LMB), the Edinburgh Protein Production Facility, STRUBI and the Structural Genomics Consortium; with logistical support from Instruct-ERIC.The CPPC will produce and provide access to protein reagents through the COVID-19 Protein Portal website at [http://COVID19proteinportal.org]. The Portal contains a searchable database of reagents, including viral proteins, human proteins and antibodies relevant for SARS-CoV-2 biology. Each reagent is annotated with key information, including sequence, origin, and SDS-page results post purification. Researchers are able to select the proteins they require from the database and submit their request with a short research proposal. All requests will be subject to rapid peer review, to enable the CPPC to coordinate and prioritise reagent allocation based on scientific merit and the urgency of the request. Once approved, a request will be allocated to one of the CPPC's expert protein production laboratories, all of whom are committed to providing high-quality reagents as quickly as possible.In the spirit of Open Science, recipient labs will be required to provide feedback to the CPPC on their experiments, and to share important outcomes with the scientific community. By contributing to the coordination of research efforts across the UK, the COVID-19 Protein Portal will accelerate vital research to deliver effective clinical management of COVID-19.