BINDER helps to combat COVID-19

The coronavirus outbreak is continuing to spread, with Germany among the countries seeing a rise in the number of those affected. While most cases are mild, the virus has a fatality rate of between one and two percent.

Scientists are working hard to develop a vaccine and relying on BINDER CO2 freezers and incubators as weapons in the fight. Freezers that can reach minus 80°C, for instance, are being used to store coronavirus samples so that they can be retrieved whenever necessary and investigated in order to gain insights into this new respiratory disease. As such, BINDER’s equipment is making it possible to conduct in-depth virus research involving dangerous pathogens over the long term.

Virologist Dr. Volker Thiel from the University of Bern is already reporting progress in the battle against coronavirus. Three weeks ago, actual samples of coronavirus were delivered to a high-security laboratory in Mittelhäusern, located in the canton of Bern, under strict safety precautions. On Swiss television, Thiel was able to report the laboratory’s success in producing the first synthetic clone of the virus. This insight will help scientists around the world develop a vaccine against COVID-19. Thiel, a renowned expert in his field, helped achieve this step forward by storing the samples safely in multiple BINDER freezers over the previous three weeks. Take a look at the video from the high-security laboratory.

CO2 incubators are also a vital tool in the efforts being made to stop coronavirus. The most important considerations for this equipment are safety and an anti-contamination concept that can be put into practice after work on human cells – something that BINDER offers.

Some BINDER CO2 incubators that are capable of heating up to 180°C are already being used to reproduce dangerous infections on human cells with the aim of delivering new insights into SARS-CoV-2 (which causes coronavirus). Experts believe that a vaccine will be available as early as the end of the year – an essential development given the speculation by numerous scientists that the flu-like illness is set to remain for another few years. By that point, it is hoped that immunization will be keeping COVID-19 at bay or that the disease will have been eradicated altogether. Until that happens, however, research will be continuing apace and the public will be required to keep upholding certain hygiene measures. During this time, BINDER will be ensuring that products required for research are available and are delivering the standards of quality for which the company is known. The simulation chamber manufacturer is doing everything in its power to help contain this rampant disease. As we have seen, BINDER’s ultra low-temperature freezers have already helped the University of Bern go some way toward achieving this.

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