The quest for materials solutions to the coronavirus pandemic
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The quest for materials solutions to the coronavirus pandemic
at how it attacks the human body; and biochemists and pharmaceutical scientists are scrambling to develop drugs that confer some protection, whether antiviral agents that inhibit the proliferation and harmful effects of the virus or—a longer-term but essential goal—vaccines that will confer By Philip Ball immunity in populations. The pandemic has made it more clear than perhaps any previous infectious outcientists from many disciplines around COVID-19 has left no part of life unbreak in modern history how much an the world have shelved their research touched. Already the virus has claimed effective response relies not just on mediplans so they can contribute to efforts to more than 570,000 lives worldwide. By cines but on protection and testing—and in halt the spread of COVID-19 or assist in early July there were around 13 million particular, on the capacity to provide both the medical crises it has created. Materials confirmed cases of infection, and the real of these things on a massive scale. scientists are no exception—for there are numbers, which depend on the extent of Some of the challenges have been many ways they can contribute. These testing and of asymptomatic spreading, are painfully basic: in many countries, hospirange from the manufacture of protective probably considerably higher. The outbreak tal staff have lacked the personal protecclothing and the invention of antiviral surbegan after the respiratory syndrome now tive equipment (PPE), such as face masks face treatments to developing platforms called COVID-19—caused by a coronaand clothing, that can prevent them from for COVID-19 diagnostic tests and for virus that jumped from (almost certainly) being exposed to the virus. With insufthe delivery of antiviral drugs. Materials bats to humans—was identified in a hospital ficient standing stocks, PPE has had to research could potentially supply some of in Wuhan, China, at the end of December be manufactured from scratch. Threethe key enabling technologies that might 2019. Most countries followed China’s dimensional (3D) printing has come into allow the world to take off the pause butexample by implementing lockdown poliits own, with tales of individuals, even ton and resume something like economic cies in the spring that closed businesses and schoolchildren, using home printers to and social normality. schools, advised people to stay at home as boost supplies of PPE. “There is an increase in R&D on matemuch as possible, and brought travel and To confer reliable protection from rials and processes related to COVID-19,” economic activity almost to a standstill. It virus particles transmitted on exhaled or said George Stylios, a specialist in smart seems inevitable that the immediate consecoughed droplets, masks should ideally textiles at Heriot-Watt University in quences, including further waves of infecconform to the US National Institute for Edinburgh, Scotland. “If these studies are tion and more lockdowns, will persist until Occupational
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