COVID-19 : IIT Mandi researchers finds structure of key protein in virus

Mandi : Researchers at the IIT Mandi’s School of Basic Science in Himachal Pradesh have discovered a part of the structure of a key protein of the Covid-19 virus, which will help develop accurate and better treatment of the corona. This will make it easier to understand virus activity, infection and severity of disease. The team’s recent findings have been published in a journal called Current Research in Virological Science. The help of researchers of Banaras Hindu University has also been taken in this. Dr. Rajneesh Giri, Assistant Professor, IIT Mandi, is the co-author of this paper and his researchers are Amit Kumar, Ankur Kumar and Prateek Kumar as well as Dr. Neha Garg of Banaras Hindu University.

Currently, Covid-19 can be treated only by symptoms. Meanwhile, the body’s immune system fights infections. To date there has been no confirmed antiviral drug that prevents the virus from growing again. One way to eliminate the effect of any virus is to find its protein and destroy it. Which will be helpful for understanding virus related disease and developing effective drugs of virus.

“Understanding the conformations and related functions of key viral proteins, such as NSP1, will ultimately be helpful in developing therapies that will target these proteins and block the virus along the way. Such a study can make this approach come true,” said Rajneesh Giri, Assistant Professor, Biotechnology.