F@H update - project 14702

 After completing project 13850, my laptop runs project 14702.

Description of the project on F@H page is this:

These projects are CPU projects to simulate COVID-19 proteins to learn about their dynamics and function. These supplement high-priority GPU projects of the main protease as well as the COVID-19 receptor binding domains. All can be considered potential drug targets.

So this is about to design anti COVID-19 drugs targeting 2 molecules : the main protease and virus receptor binding domains. What is that? Let us get a little bit more details. 

1. The main protease.

Protease is an enzyme that cuts proteins. 'ase' is a common ending of enzyme names and more on this is here.

Covid-19 main protease is a peptide and an enzyme that human or other host cell produces based on COVID RNA genome.

So potential dugs against the main protease will obviously work after virus RNA is inserted into the cell and starts it's pathologic activity.

2. Receptor binding domains

Receptor is a peptide that receives and transmits signals. Many of receptors are located in the cell membaine and acessible on the cell membrane surface. These are getting signals and virus can also bind to these. More reading on this here.

Binding domains are parts of protein that are binding to the target. More on this here.

 So I assume that potential drugs against RBD will act differently and protect host cell from virus infection.

If you have questions, comments or corrections, please post below.

List of F@H projects

https://apps.foldingathome.org/psummary

References

https://stats.foldingathome.org/project?p=14702

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6489/409

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6083867/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3630917/

Uptrennd | F@H update - project 14702