Scientists have released the most up-to-date illustration of the coronavirus ever made, mapping both its external appearance and internal structure.
The visualization was created via a 3D model and combines the latest data on the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 virus which is causing the Covid-19 pandemic.
Experts at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia created the model and hope it can help create treatments for Covid-19.
In a video the academics showcase their model which includes the protein spikes on its surface as well as the genetic material wound up inside the viral membrane.
"Our 3D model demonstrates the current state-of-the-art structure of SARS-CoV-2 at the atomistic level and reveals details of the virus that were previously impossible to see, like how we think nucleocapsid proteins form a rope-like structure inside it," said KAUST research scientist Ondřej Strnad.
"The approach we used to develop the model could steer biological research into new, promising directions for fighting the spread of COVID-19."
To create the model the researchers took high-resolution images of the viral surface from scanning electron microscopes. These reveal the specific appearance of the viral surface, showing the proteins and receptors protruding from its surface.
Included in these is the viral spike protein which binds to the ACE2 receptor of some human cells.
This spike tricks the receptor into opening up a pathway into the cell, allowing the coronavirus to bypass defenses and infect a person.
