Cell membranes play a bigger role than imagined in allowing the spike proteins on the virus to infect cells

A study by the University of Alberta showed that cell membranes play a much

The research team, led by Michael Overduin, a professor of biochemistry at Ada, used software called the Membrane Optimal Docking Region (MODA) to identify interactions between proteins

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down labs at the University of Arizona, Troy Kervin, an undergraduate student at Overduin's lab, moved his research to work

These findings became the basis for further research into cell binding activity, i.

The scientific consensus is that the role of the spike protein in SARS-CoV-2 is to bind to the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) receptor outside the cell, rather than to the

With the help of another undergraduate, Anh Tran, the team began using MODA to compare the large number of spike

"We found out how the spike protein binds to the lipids of lung cells and enters lung

The team believes that with the exception of SARS-CoV-2, other viruses use a similar mechanism to enter cells, but until recently, the process was difficult to