![]() ![]() The more you know, the more confident you’ll be about how it works,” said Stein, a chemist and NIST Fellow. “If you’re dealing with viral interactions at the molecular level, you must know everything about the molecule. While the results will assist scientists in efforts to repel COVID-19 in particular, the findings’ broader value lies in the method that revealed them, as applying it could improve the ability to repel a host of other viruses that plague humanity.Īccording to NIST’s Stephen Stein, one of the paper’s authors, characterizing the confusing array of sugars on the spike protein is crucial for giving medical science a clear picture of the enemy. In a paper published in the Journal of Proteome Research, the team details the types, quantities and positions of the sugars branching from the spike proteins on the SARS-CoV-2 viral particle, which causes COVID-19. ![]() The NIST team’s new method dramatically improves the ability to identify these sugar molecules accurately. Until now, our ability to determine the types of sugars at specific spots on the spike proteins has largely depended on educated guesswork. These sugars help the virus particle both infect the cell and evade the immune system. ![]() One reason is that each spike protein is draped in a varied bunch of sugar molecules. Because the spike proteins play an essential role in the infection process, vaccines and treatment methods often target them, but these proteins are not easy marks. The chief weapon many viruses use to latch onto and invade a victim’s cell is a spike-shaped protein jutting from the virus surface. Medical scientists laboring to repel infectious viruses, such as those that cause COVID-19 and HIV, now have a better method for obtaining that intel because of research from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). To effectively repel an enemy invasion, it helps to have accurate intelligence about that enemy’s weaponry and attack plan. ![]()
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