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Scientists have developed a new molecule that attaches to the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and prevents it from entering human cells and spreading the COVID-19 infection.
The researchers at Aarhus University in Denmark noted that the molecule is cheaper and easier to manufacture than the antibodies currently used to treat COVID-19, and to detect viral infection using rapid antigen tests.
The molecule, described in the journal PNAS on Tuesday, belongs to a class of compounds known as RNA aptamers and is based on the same type of building blocks that are used for mRNA vaccines.
