COVID-19 Highlights

Thomas Mortelmans
•Health Innovation
•11 min

New, better coronavirus rapid test

Medical Science

The test identifies different virus variants and improves disease prognosis.

nanobodies

Nanobodies against SARS-CoV-2

In a study published in EMBO Journal, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany, developed nanobodies that efficiently block the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. The high resolution structural characterization was performed at the X10SA crystallography beamline at the Swiss Light Source.

Corona Dunkelziffer
•Health Innovation
•9 min

Tracking down unreported Coronavirus cases

Biology
Medical Science

The University Hospital of Zurich uses proteins made at PSI for Europe’s first large-scale serology study on coronavirus prevalence in Switzerland.

(Photo:Shutterstock.com)
•Health Innovation
•16 min

PSI: advancing in the fight against Covid-19

Medical Science

Crystal structure analysis, computer models, cell cultures – to pursue research on Sars-CoV-2, PSI is exploring many avenues. An overview.

SARS-CoV-2_orf9b

Crystal structure of SARS-CoV-2 Orf9b in complex with human TOM70 suggests unusual virus-host interactions

In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers at the NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens in Beijing, China, in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institut characterize the interactions of SARS-CoV-2 orf9b and human TOM70 biochemically, and they determine the 2.2 Å crystal structure of the TOM70 cytosolic domain with a bound SARS-CoV-2 orf9b peptide.

Teaser Remdesivir
•Health Innovation
•5 min

How remdesivir works against the coronavirus

Medical Science

Researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt, in cooperation with the PSI have probably discovered another, previously unknown mechanism of action of the antiviral remdesivir.

Teaser covid research
•2 min

Forschung zu Covid-19 am Paul Scherrer Institut

Während viele Bereiche des Lebens eingeschränkt sind, bleiben wichtige Forschungsanlagen am PSI in Betrieb. 

May Sharpe
•Health Innovation
•6 min

A question of binding

Biology
SLS

At PSI, researchers are screening molecule fragments to see if these bind to important proteins of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and thus have the potential to disable it. They are hoping the many individual pieces of information will yield an answer as to what an effective drug might look like.

Dr. May Elizabeth Sharpe
•Health Innovation
•5 min

Covid-19 research: Anti-viral strategy with double effect

Biology
SLS

Frankfurt scientists identify a possible weakness of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. They carried out part of their measurements at PSI's Swiss Light Source SLS. The research results are published this week in the scientific journal Nature.

Dikic lab

First MX results of the priority COVID-19 call

The Dikic group at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, Germany has published the first results following the opening of the "PRIORITY COVID-19 Call” at SLS. 

covid-19

SLS MX beamtime update

Update of the SLS MX beamline operation during the COVID-19 period

COVID call

Priority access call for work on combating COVID-19 continues

On January 30th, 2020, the WHO declared the recent outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a public health emergency of international concern. It declared that there is an urgent need to improve our understanding of the newly identified virus and its possible future evolution as well as to contain the spread; to develop precise diagnostics and treatment, and to improve the public health response and patient care.

The COVID priority access call continues and is still open in 2022.