Global health R&D at work in Oklahoma
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma are studying how, at a molecular level, coronaviruses replicate and cause disease. Using state-of-the-art CRISPR genome editing techniques and reverse genetics, which involves modifying gene sequences, researchers are pinpointing vulnerabilities or targets where it might be possible to inhibit viral activity. These findings could inform antiviral drug and vaccine development. Coronaviruses are a family of respiratory viruses that not only includes SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, but also the viruses responsible for other severe diseases with pandemic potential, including Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).