We will be updating this page regularly. Last updated: January 21, 2021.
HHMI works every day to discover and share new scientific knowledge. Today, our mission takes on new urgency, as our scientists, educators, and staff contribute to the fight against COVID-19. This essential work includes efforts in diagnostic testing, understanding the basic biology of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, modeling epidemiology, and developing potential therapies or vaccines. Our science education teams are equipping educators with online teaching resources and supporting high-quality science journalism. Behind the scenes, our operations staff is busy helping to make it all happen. Here are some of our stories.
People taking cholesterol-lowering drugs may fare better than others if they catch the novel coronavirus. A new study hints at why: the virus relies on the fatty molecule to get past the cell’s protective membrane. Read more »
HHMI Investigator Michel Nussenzweig
People who have recovered from coronavirus can make potent antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 that evolve in the months after infection. These antibodies may be evolving in response to residual viral antigen hidden in the gut. Read more »
Two new studies offer an explanation for why COVID-19 cases can be so variable. A subset of patients has mutations in key immunity genes; other patients have auto-antibodies that target the same components of the immune system. Both circumstances could contribute to severe forms of the disease. Read more »
HHMI Investigator Peter Walter
Researchers have designed a molecule that sticks tightly to the coronavirus spike protein, preventing the virus from infecting cells. The molecule might someday be used in an aerosolized drug to treat or prevent COVID-19. Read more »
HHMI Investigator Anna Marie Pyle
The novel coronavirus uses structures within its RNA to infect cells. Scientists have now identified these configurations, generating the most comprehensive atlas to date of SARS-CoV-2’s genome. Read more »
Scientists have analyzed every possible mutation to one key part of the coronavirus. The data could help guide vaccine and drug development and hint at how the virus might spread. Read more »
Research labs are racing to develop innovative testing methods and overcome the bottlenecks to more widespread testing, which is crucial to controlling the spread of the disease. Read more »
HHMI Investigator Bert Vogelstein
A clinical trial in people with the new coronavirus is testing a drug that may halt an overactive immune response before it ramps up. Read more »
HHMI Investigator Aviv Regev
The new coronavirus invades cells that sport certain molecules on their surfaces. A network of researchers realized they already had the data to identify these cells. Read more »
Researchers and a volunteer team from Pinterest developed How We Feel, an app that lets users report symptoms of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Read more »
A map of interactions between the novel coronavirus and human proteins is helping scientists identify drugs that might work as therapeutics. Read more »
HHMI Investigator Stephen Elledge
Using a research assay called VirScan, scientists plan to study how antibodies from people who have had the disease attack the virus. Read more »
Using a free computer game called Foldit, researchers are enlisting the help of citizen scientists to design drugs that could stop the novel coronavirus from infecting human cells. Read more »
A new international project aims to enroll 500 COVID-19 patients to search for genetic mutations that make some people more vulnerable to severe infection. Read more »
Free Online Resources for Biology Courses
BioInteractive offers resources and strategies to support the move to online teaching and learning. These include materials about viruses, stories of scientists combatting epidemics, and activities for lab sections.