American teen wins award for discovery that could lead to COVID-19 cure



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WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) – An American teenager from Texas won the 2020 3M Young Scientists Challenge and a US $ 25,000 prize for a discovery that could provide a potential therapy for COVID-19.

The winning invention by Anika Chebrolu, a 14-year-old girl, uses in-silico methodology to discover a leader molecule that can selectively bind to the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Anika said she was inspired to find potential cures for the viruses after learning of the 1918 flu pandemic and how many people die each year in the United States despite annual vaccines and flu medications on the market.

She said her next goal is to work alongside scientists and researchers struggling to control morbidity and mortality from the COVID-19 pandemic developing their findings on a real cure for the virus.

“My effort to find a lead compound that binds to the peak protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus this summer may seem like a drop in the bucket, but it still adds to all these efforts,” CNN said. Monday.

“How you further develop this molecule with the help of virologists and drug development specialists will determine the success of these efforts,” he said.



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