A Free Game May Help Researchers Create Antiviral Drug Against COVID-19

Everyone is being offered the opportunity to help scientists fight COVID-19. Foldit is a free crowdsourcing computer game where players can design proteins that could potentially prevent SARS-COV-2 (the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19) from infecting human cells. Researchers have been able to find and identify the structure of a spike protein responsible for the infectious ability on the surface of SARS-COV-2 and Foldit uses that as a model for players to try their hand against.

Today we're calling on YOU to help design antiviral proteins against #coronavirus:https://t.co/ecqJmpXaj8

The most promising solutions will be manufactured & tested at the Institute for Protein Design (@UWproteindesign) in Seattle. #CitizenScience #COVID #COVID2019 #citsci pic.twitter.com/TsknpmwCyN

— Foldit (@Foldit) February 28, 2020

Unfortunately, just because something works in a simulation does not mean it will work in the real world. However, according to the video below, the most promising designs will be brought into the real world. The University of Washington Institute for Protein Design will manufacture and test them in the hopes of being able to find an antiviral drug effective against SARS-COV-2.

If you’re interested in participating, you can head on over to Foldit right now and download the puzzle.

Via: Nerdist

You don't have to be a scientist to do science. Download and play Foldit and you can help researchers discover new antiviral drugs that might stop coronaviru...