SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, enlists the help of two enzymes on the surface of human cells in order to invade them.
A new study suggests that a compound that inhibits both enzymes could make a highly effective treatment. When disease-causing viruses break into their hosts’ cells, it is invariably an “inside job.” Viral pathogens can only invade cells and replicate with the assistance of the cells’ own molecular machinery.
SARS-CoV-2 is no exception. Before the new coronavirus can enter a human cell, enzymes called proteases on the cell’s surface must split open the protein spikes that give the virus its characteristic crown-like appearance.