Foldit Gamers Might Cure COVID-19 | Protein design @Sciencerely

Uploaded May 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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The COVID-19 pandemic is still going on. Now, Foldit gamers might be able to make a difference – by developing SARS-CoV-2 treatments. The Foldit designs with the highest score are then reviewed by scientist who build them and test, whether they are sufficient treatments for SARS-CoV-2. But how does Foldit protein design work?
The important term here is de novo protein design. Proteins are huge molecules which consist of long chains of amino acids. In nature, most proteins are clustered in protein families. Through de novo protein design, however, we can make completely new proteins with new featured. To do that, we have to think that proteins fold into the lowest energy states that are accessible to their amino-acid sequences. What does that mean? Well, some amino acids like, for example, water more than others, we call them hydrophilic. If we have a protein which has a lot of hydrophilic amino acids in the inside and a lot of hydrophobic amino acids on the outside, then it takes a lot of energy for the protein to keep that shape. It is way more relaxing for a protein to have to have hydrophilic amino acids on the outside, because it takes less energy.
Based on this principle proteins have been designed to make long filaments in bacteria, mimic the structure of IL-2 or to bind against haemagglutinin.
In the game Foldit, people design de novo proteins against COVID-19. The game "Foldit" is designed that you do not need previous knowledge about biochemistry. Foldit players have achieved several successes in the name of science in the last years. The next challenge is to design proteins which block SARS-Cov-2. Let's see whether Foldit gamers find sufficient cures for COVID-19!
Here you can download foldit: https://fold.it/portal/

For your further research:
Chevalier A, Silva DA, Rocklin GJ, et al. Massively parallel de novo protein design for targeted therapeutics. Nature. 2017;550(7674):74‐79. doi:10.1038/nature23912
Huang PS, Boyken SE, Baker D. The coming of age of de novo protein design. Nature. 2016 Sep;537(7620):320-7.
Shen H, Fallas JA, Lynch E, Sheffler W, Parry B, Jannetty N, Decarreau J, Wagenbach M, Vicente JJ, Chen J, Wang L. De novo design of self-assembling helical protein filaments. Science. 2018 Nov 9;362(6415):705-9.

Images:
Some pictures were derived from Servier Medical Art by Servier. You can find over 3000 free medical images here: smart.servier.com

Music:
Intro:
Light Sting by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com
Transitions:
Light Thought var 3 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: incompetech.com

About Clemens Steinek:
CLEMENS STEINEK is a postgraduate student/youtuber (LifeLabLearner) who is currently conducting stem cell research in Germany.

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$5 Incredible Human Mutations 🔬 Subscribe for more awesome biomedical research: https://bit.ly/2SRMqhC 🔬 Ready for awesome scientific discussion?! Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/9VKnTSF 0:00 - How Mutations arise 1:07 - No need to Sleep 2:34 - Unbreakable Bones 4:02 - Lactose Tolerance 5:43 - Malaria Resistance 7:29 - Super Sprinters Mutations occur in humans all the time. Some mutations (which happen in egg or sperm cells) can be passed down to future generations.Most of these mutations are harmful and cause genetic diseases, but some can give us superhero like abilities. Incredible sleeping schedule: People with mutations in DEC2 often only need 4-5 hours of sleep. DEC2 is also often called the Thatcher gene after Margaret Thatcher. This gene is involved in natural biological clocks which make us feel awake during the day and sleepy at night. If we look at the function of DEC2 we see that it produces a protein which blocks the production of orexin. Mutations in DEC2 decrease its function meaning that people need much less sleep. Super strong bones: Certain mutations in a gene called LRP5 increase bone density in humans. Affected people say that they have never experienced bone fractures. On a molecular level, certain mutations in LRP5 increase its signalling, thereby telling cells to make bones more dense. Milk Lovers: Lactose tolerance has evolved roughly 10 000 years ago. While all infants and children are normally able to drink milk and eat dairy products, certain mutations near the gene lactase enable efficient dairy product digestion throughout life. This was especially useful in the recent evolutionary history of humankind since it enabled the intake of additional calories during periods of starvation. Malaria resistance: Malaria is a fatal disease which is caused by Plasmodium falciparum. Plasmodium enters the bloodstream through mosquito bites and destroys red blood cells afterwards. Certain mutations change the shape and properties of red blood cells, thereby hindering Plasmodium from entering. Prominent mutations (sickle cell allele) might also lead to dramatic diseases such as sickle cell anemia. Super sprinters: Some people are able to run faster through a genetic variation in the gene ACTN3. This gene is involved in the function of muscle fibers. ACTN3 577R shortens post-exercise muscle damage and injury risk. For your further research: He, Ying, et al. The transcriptional repressor DEC2 regulates sleep length in mammals. Science 325.5942 (2009): 866-870. Little, Randall D., et al. A mutation in the LDL receptor–related protein 5 gene results in the autosomal dominant high–bone-mass trait. The American Journal of Human Genetics 70.1 (2002): 11-19. Pickering, Craig, and John Kiely. ACTN3: more than just a gene for speed. Frontiers in physiology 8 (2017): 1080. Piel, Frédéric B., et al. Global distribution of the sickle cell gene and geographical confirmation of the malaria hypothesis. Nature communications 1.1 (2010): 1-7. Lomer, M. C. E., Parkes, G. C., & Sanderson, J. D. (2008). lactose intolerance in clinical practice–myths and realities. Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics, 27(2), 93-103. Images: Some pictures were derived from Servier Medical Art by Servier. You can find over 3000 free medical images here: https://smart.servier.com/ Music: Intro: Light Sting by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-... Artist: http://incompetech.com/ Transitions: Light Thought var 3 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Artist: http://incompetech.com/ About Clemens Steinek: CLEMENS STEINEK is a postgraduate student/youtuber (LifeLabLearner) who is currently conducting stem cell research in Germany.$