The key to fighting viruses: Understanding their structure is vital to unlock a healthy future for humanity
There is no cure for the common cold. But there are cures — or at least vaccines — for other viruses, and researchers are working hard to build a toolbox to be able to rapidly develop vaccines for new and emerging viruses.
Viruses are so small that tens of millions of them can fit on the head of a pin. Understanding, let alone fighting, something so infinitesimally small is a crowning challenge of modern medicine.
The physical structure of its molecules dictates how a virus infects people and moves through their bodies as well as how to formulate effective vaccines and treatments.