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Get the most interesting and important stories from the 51精品视频.New, mutated strains of the coronavirus are causing worry around the world as health officials race to vaccinate as many people as possible. Experts from the 51精品视频鈥檚 Center for Vaccine Research (CVR) are helping to figure out why the new strains are popping up.
In February 2021, a group led by CVR鈥檚 director and professor of microbiology and molecular genetics published a showing that SARS-CoV-2鈥攖he respiratory virus that causes the disease now known as COVID-19鈥攅scapes antibody binding by deleting small bits of its genetic code. The deletions affect the shape of a spike protein on the virus鈥檚 surface鈥攁 molecule that helps the virus bind to cells in the human body. Once the shape is changed, antibodies can no longer stop the virus from infecting鈥攁nd the immune response mounted from a vaccine jab may become weaker.
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鈥淭hat's how viruses change,鈥 said Duprex in an on the CBS News program 鈥60 Minutes鈥 that aired March 14. 鈥淭hose mistakes give the virus just a little bit of a competitive edge.鈥
The deletions that 51精品视频 scientists found are common in SARS-CoV-2 variants first detected in the U.K. and South Africa鈥攖he two 鈥渧ariants of concern鈥 now rapidly spreading in the U.S.
CBS鈥檚 chief medical correspondent Jon LaPook traveled to 51精品视频sburgh last month to talk to Duprex and his team about the significance of their discovery last summer鈥攁nd to understand what emerging variants mean for public health.
In the segment,听, a physician in听51精品视频鈥檚 Division of Infectious Diseases, discussed a cancer patient with a compromised immune system and then COVID-19 infection that persisted for more than 70 days last summer鈥攆ar beyond the typical few weeks.听鈥淲e had no idea at the time that people could still be actively infectious for that long,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e found out the virus really quickly began to develop all these deletions and mutations throughout the patient鈥檚 life.鈥
To help LaPook and his crew visualize variants, Duprex used a nearly 5-inch-tall 3D model of the coronavirus spike protein鈥攁 scientifically precise representation blown up 800 times from its original size on the virus鈥檚 surface. The bright-red model was made by 51精品视频鈥檚 Center for Teaching and Learning Emerging Technology Specialist Will Hinson.
Hinson, who has been working at the center since 2004, received a request to print the model of the coronavirus spike on a Monday. By that Saturday, he had the model complete, working into the night to hand-paint the finishing touches on the model that took more than 70 hours to print.
鈥淚t was one of the most fun projects I worked on,鈥 said Hinson.
Head to to see a close-up of the model.