Categories
Biochemistry ChemVsCOVID

#ChemVsCOVID: How variant tracking and sequence sharing help the fight against the virus

On this day a year ago, the Alpha variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was designated a variant of concern. The final graphic in the #ChemVsCOVID series with the Royal Society of Chemistry looks at how variants are tracked and what causes the differences between them.

Categories
ChemVsCOVID

#ChemVsCOVID: How lateral flow tests for COVID-19 work

On this day a year ago, the UK started its piloting of mass testing in the city of Liverpool using lateral flow tests. The latest graphic in the #ChemVsCOVID series with the Royal Society of Chemistry looks at how these tests work, and how accurate are they compared to the standard PCR tests that are […]

Categories
ChemVsCOVID Medicinal Chemistry

#ChemVsCOVID: How nucleoside analogue antivirals combat COVID

One year ago, in October 2020, the US FDA approved remdesivir: the first antiviral drug approved for COVID-19. While it’s not as effective as was first thought, similar drugs look like they could be more successful. The latest graphic in the #ChemVsCOVID series with the Royal Society of Chemistry examines how they work.

Categories
ChemVsCOVID Coronavirus

#ChemVsCOVID: How chemistry is helping with understanding and combatting virus transmission

How does COVID spread? Of all the questions about the pandemic, this seems like it would be a fairly simple one to answer. But, even several months into the pandemic, the guidance from public health organisations did not recognise the potential for COVID to be transmitted through the air. The latest edition of the Chem […]

Categories
ChemVsCOVID Medicinal Chemistry

#ChemVsCOVID: How were the first treatments for COVID identified?

On this day (16 June) a year ago, the first effective treatment for COVID-19 was announced. The corticosteroid drug dexamethasone, already used to treat several inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, was found to be effective for patients in a serious condition in hospital with COVID. This discovery was the product of the RECOVERY trial, a programme […]

Categories
ChemVsCOVID Coronavirus

#ChemVsCOVID: How did past research help COVID-19 vaccine efforts?

On this day in 2020, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine entered phase 1 trials, making it the first COVID vaccine to do so. This came less than a week after the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. How was it possible for this to happen so quickly? The third part of the #ChemVsCOVID series, […]