A 14-year-old teenager, who lives in the US state of Texas, recently won a national scientific competition to determine the molecule that could be associated with the Corona virus and possibly disrupt it.

Anika Ciprolo used computer modeling to search for a compound that binds to the protein "SARS-CoV-2", which emerges on the surface of the virus and connects to human cells to cause infection.

Experts say that in theory, this compound should prevent corona from infecting cells, according to the "Life Science" website, which specializes in scientific news.

And when designing new antiviral drugs, scientists often conduct mathematical studies, such as that by Ciprolo.

Chiprollo won first prize in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, a competition for middle school students, with a prize fund of $ 25,000.

Ciprolo had been participating, for months, in the competition with the aim of studying influenza, but she decided to change the direction of her study towards Corona, after this infection swept through various countries of the world.

Ciprolo began its study with a database of more than 698 million compounds, and ran it through computer tests, to assess the extent of its ability to bind, and to know its structure, properties, and how it was broken down in the body, in addition to its toxicity.

With each examination, the field was narrowed down to a single compound of lead that could bind to the Coronavirus, and prevent it from infecting cells.

Source: Agencies

By:Nadeemy Haded