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Anika Chebrolu, a 14-year-old Indian American, has won the 2020 3M Young Scientist Challenge for her work on a potential drug to treat COVID-19. The teen, who hails from Texas, US, has been awarded $25,000 (Rs 18.34 lakh at the current exchange rate) for her research to find a treatment for the coronavirus infection.
“It's exciting. I'm still trying to process everything,” Chebrolu told American media. The class 8 student started working on this after the pandemic hit.
Research has already established that the SARS-CoV-2 is spherical with protrusions called spikes (proteins) that latch on to human cells, thus helping the virus to fuse with certain cell membranes and enter them. Spike proteins give coronaviruses their name—corona means crown.
Chebrolu, who hopes to be a medical researcher one day, used computer programs (in silico method) to work out how a molecule could block the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into healthy cells by binding with spike proteins on the virus' surface.
Some drug and vaccine makers are also trying to block the virus by creating molecules that can bind to the spike proteins on this virus. The virus uses spike proteins to gain entry into healthy cells. However, if a molecule or monoclonal antibody or vaccine can bind to special sites on these virus spike proteins, they will not be able to bind with cell receptors any more.
Talking to CNN, Chebrolu said, “The last two days, I saw that there is a lot of media hype about my project since it involves the SARS-CoV-2 virus and it reflects our collective hopes to end this pandemic as I, like everyone else, wish that we go back to our normal lives soon."
