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THE SCIENTISTS believe they may have discovered a new way to try to fight the Covid-19 virus.
An international team from the University of Bristol believes that small molecule antiviral drugs could be developed to help prevent the virus from infecting human cells.
Sars-CoV-2 is the virus that causes Covid-19.
Scientists have found a “junkie” pocket within a Sars-CoV-2 spike protein that they hope could lead to new antiviral drugs to turn off and eliminate the virus before it enters human cells.
They describe the findings, published in the journal Science, as a possible “game changer” to defeat the current pandemic.
The spike proteins, found on the surface of the virus, are a key element for infections of human cells.
The researchers found a small molecule, linoleic acid (LA), buried in a custom-made pocket within the spike protein.
Linoleic acid (LA) is a free fatty acid, necessary for many cellular functions and cannot be produced by the human body.
LA plays a vital role in inflammation and immunity levels, and it is also necessary to maintain cell membranes in the lungs to help people breathe properly.
Professor Imre Berger said: “Our discovery provides the first direct link between the pathological manifestations of LA, Covid-19 and the virus itself.
“The question now is how to turn this new knowledge against the virus itself and defeat the pandemic.”
The team used a powerful imaging technique, called electronic cryoscopy (cryo-EM), to analyze the Sars-CoV-2 peak.
A 3D structure of the Sars CoV-2 peak protein was generated, allowing the researchers to look inside the peak and identify its molecular composition.
The researchers detected LA in a pocket within the spike protein.
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Professor Berger described the research team as “really baffled” by the discovery and its implications.
Professor Berger said: “So here we have LA, a molecule that is at the center of those functions that go haywire in Covid-19 patients, with dire consequences.
“And the virus that is causing all this chaos, according to our data, grabs and latches on exactly to this molecule, basically disarming much of the body’s defenses.”
The team has found hope in previous studies on rhinovirus, which is a virus that causes the common cold.
They said a similar pocket was tapped to develop powerful small molecules that were used successfully as antiviral drugs in human trials at a clinic.
The Bristol team hopes that a similar strategy can now be used to develop small molecule antiviral drugs against Sars-CoV-2.
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