Scripps Research scientists are working toward developing vaccines and treatments for the novel coronavirus. Andrew Ward, PhD, a professor of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology at Scripps Research, has a longstanding interest in understanding immune responses to coronaviruses, particularly how the body responds to the surface spike protein on the virus. Ward’s team revealed the first structure of a human coronavirus spike protein in 2017 from the HKU1 virus, and subsequently went on to describe spike proteins from SARS and MERS—the latter when it was connected with a neutralizing antibody. They are now investigating the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and working with collaborators in the United States who are isolating antibodies from infected patients. Lastly, Ward’s group has developed new imaging methods that work as a diagnostic tool to directly probe blood samples from infected patients.

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