Coronavirus disease 2019 () increases the risk of developing Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), which is often fatal at the late stages of the infection when the SAR-CoV-2 virus causes significant damage to the lungs. As a first step of the viral replication strategy, the virus attaches to the host cell surface before entering the cell. The Spike S1 protein recognizes and attaches to the Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor found on the surface of type I and II pneumocytes, endothelial cells, and ciliated bronchial epithelial cells. Drugs targeting the interaction between the Spike S1 protein of SARS-CoV-2 and ACE2 may offer some protection against the viral infection.

The ACE2:SARS-CoV-2 Spike S1 Inhibitor Screening Assay Kit is designed for screening and profiling inhibitors of this interaction. The key to this kit is the high sensitivity of detection of Spike S1-Biotin protein by Streptavidin-HRP. Only a few simple steps on a microtiter plate are required for the assay. First, ACE2 protein is attached to a nickel-coated 96-well plate. Next, SARS-CoV-2 Spike S1-Biotin is incubated with ACE2 on the plate. Finally, the plate is treated with Streptavidin-HRP followed by addition of an HRP substrate to produce chemiluminescence, which then can be measured using a chemiluminescence reader.