{"id":7404,"date":"2020-04-20T14:56:14","date_gmt":"2020-04-20T14:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/?p=7404"},"modified":"2020-06-05T11:43:48","modified_gmt":"2020-06-05T11:43:48","slug":"how-scientists-are-working-to-find-solutions-to-the-covid-19-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-scientists-are-working-to-find-solutions-to-the-covid-19-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"How scientists are working to find solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Structural biology consultant on Kolabtree Jennifer Huen<\/a> writes about how scientists worldwide are working to find solutions to the COVID-19<\/a> pandemic.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

As I write these words, medical staff around the world are working at full capacity to treat infected patients, scientists are hurriedly conducting experiments to develop a suitable COVID-19 vaccine, and volunteers are delivering food and supplies to vulnerable people. These are only a handful of the numerous selfless acts people are undertaking to assist everyone around them.<\/p>\n

Our collective experience during the SARS epidemic in 2002-2003 has led to swift actions and behavior changes by the government and general population in order to contain viral spread and accelerate urgent research<\/a> [1]. Already, over a thousand primary and review articles have been published on\u00a0SARS-CoV2 since its first appearance in the public eye in December of last year. Lab suppliers are streamlining orders for COVID-19 related reagents and media outlets are providing free access to COVID-19 articles, such as those from Science magazine (<\/span>https:\/\/www.sciencemag.org\/<\/span>).\u00a0The Protein Data Bank, a resource for high resolution molecular structures solved by the scientific community, has seen over a hundred protein structures deposited, the first at the beginning of February [2]. Such research as well as past work on coronaviruses have led to the expedition of clinical trials worldwide [3-5].\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With the bounty of data made freely available, I generated the image below to represent a snapshot of how SARS-CoV2 infects its host.\u00a0The protein molecules illustrated in this image were obtained from molecular structure data provided by several research groups [6-8]. One of these groups has provided structures of all SARS-CoV2 proteins and their interactions with human protein targets (<\/span>http:\/\/korkinlab.org\/wuhan<\/span><\/a>). <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

During SARS-CoV infection, host cells either engulf the virus particle or the virus membrane directly fuses to the host membrane [9,10]. These two actions are first mediated by the viral spike protein binding the enzyme displayed on the host surface, Angiotensin Converting enzyme 2, ACE2. Scientists have shown since February that ACE2 is the enzyme targeted by SARS-CoV2 [11-14]. Once the virus spike binds to ACE2, host enzymes called proteases cut a specific region of the viral spike, allowing the spike to rearrange itself. This action makes way for part of the spike to insert into the host membrane, allowing the virus membrane to fuse to it and extrude its genome inside the host [15,16]. The virus can also enter its host by becoming engulfed into vesicles, where it can then deposit its genome inside the host [17,12]. By interfering with any of the steps for SARS-CoV2 entry, infection can be halted. Molecular structures of viral proteins play an important role in drug research as its akin to having a map of unknown territory, revealing key regions on the target molecule.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

This work is only one of hundreds of articles that were expedited for publication by science journals, by-passing the peer-review process, in order to reach the public faster. The amount of progress we\u2019ve made in finding solutions to COVID-19 could only have been possible with the help from the many resourceful and innovative people worldwide. To see how you can contribute, please see the list of opportunities below.<\/span><\/p>\n

I have always appreciated the elegant structures and functions of biological molecules. Now, I\u2019m greatly appreciative of the speed in which scientists and the general public worldwide are dedicating their energies toward a common goal. It will be our collaborative efforts that will pull us through this pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Links for volunteering, innovation, and donation resources<\/b>:<\/span><\/p>\n

Volunteering activities may involve helping with COVID-19 diagnoses, fact-checking and addressing misinformation, delivery of medical reagents or donations of personal protective equipment. This list is not comprehensive and contains volunteer opportunities mostly around the Toronto, Canada area.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n