A Laurentian University Profession is getting a boost from the federal government in his fight against the coronavirus.
Stefan Siemann, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the school, has been working to tame the virus.
He’s part of a global network of experts using 3-D imaging technology to find a potential weakness in the cell structure of SARS-Cov-2 (the coronavirus).
This week, the Canada Foundation for Innovation announced that Dr. Siemann will receive $200,000 for two pieces of equipment which will bring his efforts to the next level.
“The research infrastructure funding announced by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry could not have come at a better time for scientists in Canada including Laurentian’s Dr. Stefan Siemann,” said Tammy Eger, Vice-President, Research, Laurentian University. “We are incredibly proud of Dr. Siemann and his research collaborators who are using advanced scientific tools and novel methods in the fight against COVID-19.”
The school says “a fluorometer and a microplate reader system will prove essential to helping Dr. Siemann and his team investigate an enzyme called Mpro. Vital” in the replication of the virus.
The researchers’ goal is to find a compound that will block Mpro from replicating more cells of SARS-Cov-2. They say that in theory, this will halt or diminish the spread of the virus.