COVID-19, A little hope.
A little bit of hope from down under that may interest you.
A couple of days ago our local T.V. news had a segment on COVID-19 and the Australian Synchrotron (located here in Melbourne). The synchrotron enabled scientists to capture magnified images of the atoms making up the crucial protein, and build a virtual model of the exact structure and shape of COVID-19.
To speed up potential new treatments, researchers have released their discovery (known as Nsp9) to the world so it can be accessed by international laboratories.
After producing a 3D map of the protein COVID-19, the scientists are working to design a drug to stop the pandemic disease. It’s hoped that a drug can be designed to bind to Nsp9’s shape to potentially block COVID-19 from replicating.
Scientists at the CSIRO’s animal testing laboratory in Geelong here in Victoria are in the first stage of clinical trials using ferrets. They hope that after testing vaccines in animals they will be raced into human trials “later this month”.
Footnote: “CSIRO” is the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation – an Australian Federal Government agency responsible for scientific research. CSIRO works with leading organisations around the world.
I sometimes watch a TV show concerning our border security. I am staggered that some incoming overseas visitors can claim they have no food in their possession, and yet when customs open their bags there are quantities of prohibited items. Of course, it is another’s fault. In some cases there are crawlies in the animal /vegetable matter. This could decimate our agricultural industries. But do they care?
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