German Researchers "Discovered Weakness of COVID-19... Hope for Treatment"

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] German researchers have discovered a new weakness in the enzyme of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

On the 26th, German foreign media reported that researchers at Giessen University in Germany have identified an enzyme component essential for the replication of all coronaviruses.

This research achievement, conducted in collaboration with researchers from Marburg, Russia, and the Netherlands, was published in the international academic journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Viruses require a special enzyme called nucleic acid (RNA) polymerase to replicate their genetic material. In the case of coronaviruses, an additional protein domain called NiRAN is included.

The researchers demonstrated through experiments that this component is indispensable for replicating viral RNA. John Chibuer, an infectious disease specialist at Giessen University, predicted that future antiviral drugs could target NiRAN.