Jason McLellan, an associate professor at The University of Texas at Austin, has studied coronaviruses for years. When COVID-19 popped up in China at the end of last year, he began leading researchers to develop the first 3D atomic scale of the part of the virus, known as the spike protein, that attaches to and infects human cells. Mapping this part, which his team completed last month, is an essential step for researchers around the world to develop vaccines and antiviral drugs to combat the virus.
We caught up with McLellan in his lab to discuss vaccine development and the threat COVID-19 poses compared with other coronaviruses.
Recommended Videos
Jake Sam contributed to this report.
Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.