In recent weeks, scientists and experts have turned to technology to understand, fight, and defeat COVID-19.
For example, a group of MIT researchers led by Markus J. Buhler found a way to translate SARS-CoV-2 ’s amino acid sequence and protein structure into music .
The relaxing song turned nanoscopic remains into combined musical notes through computer algorithms . It seems like the songs cheat our ears in the same way the virus cheats our cells: SARS-CoV-2 quickly takes over. This project is immersed in both science and art. Although it could seem like an aesthetic whim, this goes beyond: it’s one of how scientists look for new alternatives to fight the pandemic .
The scientists’ idea is to find new places inside the protein structure where antibodies or new drugs can adhere. Looking for specific musical sequences that correspond to these strategic places could be a faster way to study proteins. When you compare the musical sequences of the virus’ protein with a database of other proteins that have also turned into music, it might be possible to find one that might be able to adhere to the exterior layer of the cell and prevent the virus from penetrating it. All this while music plays in the back.
In the last four months, SARS-CoV-2 made its appearance, it turned into music, but also brought death and unease, while the world fights against an invisible enemy . The world’s biggest hope is inside laboratories, where they are working to contain the impact of the virus and where scientists are also trying to prevent a second contagion wave in the countries that have shown some recovery signs.
The biggest hope is a vaccine ; however, likely, it won’t be ready before 18 months. So the only way to halt the pandemic is through more efficient treatments and monitoring mechanisms . In this sense, the so-called antibodies test would do the job.
The antibodies test would allow authorities to learn the number of people who have developed immunity to COVID-19 and whose infection went unnoticed. These tests are five times cheaper than COVID-19 tests, they could turn into some sort of immunity certificate for a person to return to their everyday lives. Moreover, the test is also being used in clinical trials to find a new treatment for patients who are in a critical state and in those who have received plasma from patients who have recovered. For now, it is still unknown how long would immunity last, and experts consider that the answer to this question will be crucial to prevent new COVID-19 outbreaks . For example, Canada started the largest clinical trial in the world. Experts will use blood plasma of patients who have recovered, which is full of antibodies.
The study is a collaboration between the Canadian Transfusion Research Network , the McMaster Centre for Transfusion Research , Canadian Blood Services , NGO Héma-Québec , among other academic institutions. Hematologist Donald Arnold is leading the project named CONCOR . It will involve 1,000 patients from 40 Canadian hospitals. However, the strategy is an ancient one since convalescent plasma dates back to 1890 and was used during the Spanish Flu pandemic.
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Designing new alternatives
Since late March, China hasn’t registered new novel coronavirus cases . The country where COVID-19 first appeared is staring to be optimistic and to lift some restrictions; nevertheless, any mistake would easily spark a new outbreak especially because in other countries, like Mexico, cases are just starting to increase.
The history of epidemics has shown a tendency: second outbreaks . So Asian countries where the COVID-19 epidemic started and where cases have dramatically increased are closely monitoring the cases by following the strategies that were efficient and creating new ones.
The so-called “ QR health codes ,” apps implemented in over 200 Chinese cities, are monitoring the patient’s health so they don’t represent a risk to others. In these apps , people have to answer a series of questions about their health, including their temperature. The GPS will help to identify possible contagions or risk area in case there is an outbreak.
This way, the app generates agree, yellow, or red code that allows or limits access to public transport or offices. Although this has sparked a debate about privacy, the majority of people have agreed to it because they know this tool will help to monitor the spread of the virus and their health. In some European cities they are trying to implement the same strategy, although they acknowledge that the functionality of the strategy relies on the use of electronic devices and digital platforms. Therefore, a strategy that worked in countries where people use technology might not have the same effect in other countries; however, experts are trying to find new ways to monitor entire communities through other tools.
An example is the work of over a dozen groups of experts who are analyzing wastewater as another way to calculate the total number of infections inside a community, according to the virus remains found in urine and fecal matter.
For the researchers from the Microbiology Department from the KWR Water Research Institute, located in the Netherlands, a wastewater treatment plant can collect wastewater from over a million people. These scales might even provide better estimates about the spread of COVID-19 in a community because monitoring wastewaters could reveal information about those who haven’t been tested and that might have mild symptoms or none. Moreover, this method could trace the presence or comeback of the virus in different communities, and in fact, this method was previously used to determine the presence of measles .
To measure the levels of infection in a community through waste wáter, experts say that they would have to find out how much viral RNA is excreted and extrapolate the number of infected persons in a community by analyzing the concentration of viral RNA . Researchers also need to make sure that the results are a representative sample.
The truth is COVID-19 is here to stay, therefore, the tools must be carefully selected and scientific imagination can’t be limited.
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