Variants! The Shape-Shifting Challenge of COVID-19 Quotes

“Scientists at Rockefeller University deliberately selected laboratory variants resistant to convalescent patient antisera. They found that regardless of the sera used, the S protein could mutate to escape. Most, but not all, of the escape mutants were found in three regions of the spike protein, the N-terminal domain, the receptor-binding domain, and near the furin cleavage site (Figures 52, 53).”
― William A. Haseltine, Variants! The Shape-Shifting Challenge of COVID-19

“Scientists in Israel created mutations in the receptor-binding domain in an attempt to find variants that bind ever more tightly to the receptor. They were remarkably successful. They were able to increase the binding of the S protein by 640 times from 1600 to 2.5 picomolar (Table 1).”
― William A. Haseltine, Variants! The Shape-Shifting Challenge of COVID-19

“Beyond sheer numbers, our urban centers are home to cramped and unclean quarters, tantalizing targets for omnipresent viruses.”
― William A. Haseltine, Variants! The Shape-Shifting Challenge of COVID-19

“The first chink in our armor is simply how many of us there are—and how long we’re able to live. Life expectancy has reached new heights and shows no sign of dropping. Because our health systems haven’t evolved sufficiently to meet the needs of larger aging populations, older adults are among the most vulnerable to COVID-19 and other viruses that prey on weaker or compromised immune systems.”
― William A. Haseltine, Variants! The Shape-Shifting Challenge of COVID-19