Why is a vaccine for COVID-19 at least 18 months away? You must include the following keywords in your report: regulations, vaccines.
Example of how the assessment should look like: TOPIC- Why don’t we have a specific antiviral to treat this infection? What is currently being done to develop a treatment for this infection? What strategies in drug development can help make an antiviral that may be useful for other strains of coronavirus? You must include the following key words in your report: treatment, drug development. ASSESSMENT- Lack of an antiviral for COVID-19 COVID-19 is referred to as a ‘novel’ within the corona virus family, meaning that this strain has not before been identified. Because of its such recent emergence, there is not a specific antiviral to treat this infection. There are other known strains of this virus, such as those that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) which also do not have recommended antiviral treatments (Queensland Government, 2020). This makes it difficult to develop such an antiviral for COVID-19 as there are no preceding treatments to give specific direction to drug developers about which antivirals will be most effective. Laboratory and clinical testing of treatments In a worldwide effort to develop a treatment for COVID-19, numerous laboratory and clinical trials are currently being held using a variety of drugs. One promising trial involves the use of the broad-spectrum antiviral remdesivir. (National Institues of Health, 2020) explains that it works by prematurely terminating viral RNA chains post host-cell entry. According to (National Institues of Health, 2020), this particular antiviral has been successful in vitro against various RNA viruses such as Ebola. More notably, (Wang, et al., 2020) have found remdesivir to be successful in several cases of animal experimentation of MERS-CoV, as well as in animal models of SARS. The efficacy of remdesivir against COVID-19 and its safety in human treatments is being tested at the University of Nebraska Medical Centre, as well as in parts of China (National Institues of Health, 2020). Despite current laboratory and clinical trials, sufficient time hasn’t yet elapsed to determine if this testing has been successful against COVID-19. Strategies in drug development When creating an antiviral for COVID-19, it is critical to develop a treatment that can be used against other strains of corona virus if in the future another strain emerges. For viruses, the main targets of drug development are often viral entry and viral replication. Antivirals already exist with the ability to target viral replication, such as the previously mentioned remdesivir. Another leading strategy relates to viral entry of corona viruses based on their common outer structures. These structures are referred to as spike (S) proteins, from which the name corona, meaning ‘crown’ in Latin, is derived (National Centre for Biotechnology Information, 2016). Advanced technology has allowed the McLellan Lab of the University of Texas to produce an atomic-level structure of the spike protein for the first time using a high-resolution imaging tool called cryo-electron microscopy, shown in Figure 1 (Collins, 2020). With this, drug developers will be able to study these proteins at an even smaller scale and provide them with more understanding about how to disrupt their function. CoronaVirusSpike.jpg Figure 1 Atomic-level structure of the spike protein of the virus that causes COVID-19. Reprinted from McLellan Lab, University of Texas at Austin, n.d., retrieved from https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2020/03/03/structural-biology-points-way-to-coronavirus-vaccine (Links to an external site.) Spike proteins can also be useful in identifying and separating naturally produced antibodies by patients that have recovered from COVID-19 which can then be used to create a vaccine. (Collins, 2020). With this information, if these spike proteins can be effectively targeted in this novel strain, the same antiviral could provide future treatment of other corona viruses. Reference list Collins, D. F. (2020, 03 03). Structural Biology Points Way to Coronavirus Vaccine. Retrieved from NIH Director's Blog: https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2020/03/03/structural-biology-points-way-to-coronavirus-vaccine/ National Centre for Biotechnology Information. (2016). Structure, Function, and Evolution of Coronavirus Spike Proteins. Retrieved from National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5457962/ National Institues of Health. (2020). NIH clinial trail of remdesivir to treat COVID-19 begins. Retrieved from National Institues of Health: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-clinical-trial-remdesivir-treat-covid-19-begins Queensland Government. (2020). Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) – everything you need to know, in language you can understand. Retrieved from Queensland Government: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/news-events/news/novel-coronavirus-covid-19-sars-queensland-australia-how-to-understand-protect-prevent-spread-symptoms-treatment Wang, M., Cao, R., Zhang, L., Yang, X., Liu, J., Xu, M., . . . Xiao, G. (2020, 02 04). Remdesivir and chloroquine effectively inhibit the recently emerged novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in vitro. Retrieved from Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41422-020-0282-0#citeas Word count: 504 Similarity score: 6% Part 1- My topic MY TOPIC: Why is a vaccine for COVID-19 at least 18 months away? You must include the following key words in your report: regulations, vaccine. Example of how the assessment should look like: EXAMPLE TOPIC- Why don’t we have a specific antiviral to treat this infection? What is currently being done to develop a treatment for this infection? What strategies in drug development can help make an antiviral that may be useful for other strains of coronavirus? You must include the following key words in your report: treatment, drug development. EXAMPLE ASSESSMENT- Lack of an antiviral for COVID-19 COVID-19 is referred to as a ‘novel’ within the corona virus family, meaning that this strain has not before been identified. Because of its such recent emergence, there is not a specific antiviral to treat this infection. There are other known strains of this virus, such as those that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) which also do not have recommended antiviral treatments (Queensland Government, 2020). This makes it difficult to develop such an antiviral for COVID-19 as there are no preceding treatments to give specific direction to drug developers about which antivirals will be most effective. Laboratory and clinical testing of treatments In a worldwide effort to develop a treatment for COVID-19, numerous laboratory and clinical trials are currently being held using a variety of drugs. One promising trial involves the use of the broad-spectrum antiviral remdesivir. (National Institues of Health, 2020) explains that it works by prematurely terminating viral RNA chains post host-cell entry. According to (National Institues of Health, 2020), this particular antiviral has been successful in vitro against various RNA viruses such as Ebola. More notably, (Wang, et al., 2020) have found remdesivir to be successful in several cases of animal experimentation of MERS-CoV, as well as in animal models of SARS. The efficacy of remdesivir against COVID-19 and its safety in human treatments is being tested at the University of Nebraska Medical Centre, as well as in parts of China (National Institues of Health, 2020). Despite current laboratory and clinical trials, sufficient time hasn’t yet elapsed to determine if this testing has been successful against COVID-19. Strategies in drug development When creating an antiviral for COVID-19, it is critical to develop a treatment that can be used against other strains of corona virus if in the future another strain emerges. For viruses, the main targets of drug development are often viral entry and viral replication. Antivirals already exist with the ability to target viral replication, such as the previously mentioned remdesivir. Another leading strategy relates to viral entry of corona viruses based on their common outer structures. These structures are referred to as spike (S) proteins, from which the name corona, meaning ‘crown’ in Latin, is derived (National Centre for Biotechnology Information, 2016). Advanced technology has allowed the McLellan Lab of the University of Texas to produce an atomic-level structure of the spike protein for the first time using a high-resolution imaging tool called cryo-electron microscopy, shown in Figure 1 (Collins, 2020). With this, drug developers will be able to study these proteins at an even smaller scale and provide them with more understanding about how to disrupt their function. Figure 1 Atomic-level structure of the spike protein of the virus that causes COVID-19. Reprinted from McLellan Lab, University of Texas at Austin, n.d., retrieved from https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2020/03/03/structural-biology-points-way-to-coronavirus-vaccine (Links to an external site.) Spike proteins can also be useful in identifying and separating naturally produced antibodies by patients that have recovered from COVID-19 which can then be used to create a vaccine. (Collins, 2020). With this information, if these spike proteins can be effectively targeted in this novel strain, the same antiviral could provide future treatment of other corona viruses. Reference list Collins, D. F. (2020, 03 03). Structural Biology Points Way to Coronavirus Vaccine. Retrieved from NIH Director's Blog: https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2020/03/03/structural-biology-points-way-to-coronavirus-vaccine/ National Centre for Biotechnology Information. (2016). Structure, Function, and Evolution of Coronavirus Spike Proteins. Retrieved from National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5457962/ National Institues of Health. (2020). NIH clinial trail of remdesivir to treat COVID-19 begins. Retrieved from National Institues of Health: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-clinical-trial-remdesivir-treat-covid-19-begins Queensland Government. (2020). Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) – everything you need to know, in language you can understand. Retrieved from Queensland Government: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/news-events/news/novel-coronavirus-covid-19-sars-queensland-australia-how-to-understand-protect-prevent-spread-symptoms-treatment Wang, M., Cao, R., Zhang, L., Yang, X., Liu, J., Xu, M., . . . Xiao, G. (2020, 02 04). Remdesivir and chloroquine effectively inhibit the recently emerged novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in vitro. Retrieved from Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41422-020-0282-0#citeas Word count: 504 Similarity score: 6% PART 2- PEER REVIEW Assignment info: After all the draft task reports are posted, it will be time to look at your teammates reports and write a peer review to one (preferably one that does not have any other reviews yet). Make some notes as you read the reports of people in your team regarding what information was not clear. Please note: Do not provide feedback on spelling, grammar, whether attachments are used or format (the tutors will do this). Be professional and courteous and only provide constructive feedback. Being unnecessarily terse in your feedback will be considered unprofessional and cannot score more than 5/10. See the full instructions here and you submit by opening the discussion area for your group and replying to that student's report. Please start your report with a heading in bold "Peer review of.......". Your tutor will write feedback to your peer review 1 two weeks after the due date. EXAMPLE PEER REVIEW Peer review of Chelsea Kasbergen Scientific researchers are interesting because they are analysing what a pathogen causes to the host and finding the treatment for it. And once they collected all the information and then found its solution, the excitement that flows within their blood stream is amazing and furthermore their invention can help other people to solve another problem. The report made some very interesting points when it addressed how to treat