Rockefeller Scientists Employ Coronavirus Stunt Double as a Research Expedient
Aug 27, 2020
Theodora Hatziioannou – Source: Rockefeller University
It’s experimentation with a deadly virus, minus the deadly virus. Researchers at Rockefeller University have developed a way to study the potency of antibodies against the virus that causes COVID-19 without the cumbersome precautions entailed in actually bringing the virus into the lab.
“We basically decorate another virus with the spike protein, which is what the coronavirus uses to gain entry to the cells,” says Rockefeller researcher Theodora Hatziioannou in Rockefeller University’s story about the development.
In April, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) made a $3 million grant to support related research at the University as part of its $100 million global COVID-19 relief initiative.