As the number of coronavirus cases is increasing worldwide, researchers are trying their level best to understand what makes this infection spread so easily. Now scientists from the University of Minnesota (UM) have examined the structure of the ‘spike’ protein on the surface of SARS-CoV-2. Scientists used X-ray crystallography to create a 3D model to figure out how the spike protein looks, and how it connects to human cells. The team observed that the SARS-CoV-2 strain of coronavirus has a few variations that form an unusually compact ‘ridge’ in the spike protein. Researchers hope that the new modeling will help other researchers develop drugs or vaccines for the disease.
Disclaimer: The above article has been aggregated by a computer program and summarised by an Steamdaily specialist. You can read the original article at sciencealert
