COVID-19: ABUAD Records Scientific Breakthrough

The Chemo-Genomics Research Institute of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, CRIA, in collaboration with the ABUAD Multi-system Hospital (AMSH), yesterday, announced a new understanding about the reasons why humans are more vulnerable to infections by the new variant of COVID-19, popularly known as N501Y SARS-CoV-2 mutant.
One of the reasons provided by the bio-medical scientists and Researchers, led by Dr Olaposi Omotuyi, is that the new variant is 80 times more effective at binding to human cells as it is characterised by faster human-to-human transmission, more rapid progression of symptoms and death.
Since the country is not on total lockdown, the Scientists and Researchers advised that people should adhere to the laid down non-pharmacologic preventive procedures.
The researchers announced that ABUAD was on the verge of bringing out an indigenous herbal product to combat the new variant in order to reduce its spread in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
A statement signed by Director, Corporate Affairs, Tunde Olofintila, stated that the Bio-medical scientists and Researchers at the two-sister institutions took advantage of the cutting-edge Bio-computing platform at the research institute to calculate and re-evaluate the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein Receptor-Binding Domain (RBD) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 surface (ACE2) for the wild type in comparison with the new variant.
Omotuyi said one of the outstanding discoveries of the research efforts is the improved RBD binding with ACE2 following N501 mutation.
“This scientific breakthrough becomes more important and germane bearing in mind the coming of the second wave of COVID-19 which boasts of more deaths and infection than the parent pandemic.