Innovating with data to fight a global pandemic

The fight against the deadly COVID-19 disease is a collective effort drawing on the resources of scientists, laboratories and high performance computing centers around the world. This is very much the case at the University of California at San Diego, where a team of researchers is leveraging the massive computational power of a supercomputer at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), powered by Dell Technologies and Intel, to expose the secrets of the SARS CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19. Much of the research conducted by Dr. Amaro and her team revolves around a sugary molecular shield on the SARS-CoV-2 virus, made up of a substance known as glycans. SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses use this spiked sugary cloak to attack the cells of a human host. In essence, the glycans trick the human immune system into seeing them as harmless. The breakthrough simulations and modeling conducted by the UC San Diego research team have shown the world what the sugary coating actually looks like and how it tries to hide itself from human immune systems. These efforts reveal that the glycans prime the coronavirus for infection by changing the shape of their spike protein. Scientists hope this research will add to the arsenal of knowledge needed to defeat the COVID-19 disease.