Corona virus structure as a model from the 3D printer

Viruses are so tiny that they cannot be seen with the naked eye. Even many microscopes are not able to detect viruses. Researcher of the University of Würzburg therefore have the first biologically correct 3D model from Corona virus printed in a 3D printer. With the illustrative material, they would like to make the state of knowledge about the Sars-CoV-2 virus understandable.

The tiny size of viruses makes it all the more difficult to deal with the current threat from the coronavirus and its pathogens in the corona pandemic SARS-CoV-2 to recognize which one Covid-19 Disease triggers.

Hence the international Corona Structural Task Force to Dr. Andrea Thorn, scientist from the Rudolf Virchow Center at the University of Würzburg, developed a 3D model of the new corona virus Covid-19. The 17 cm plastic model was printed with a 3D printer.

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23 people from seven nations work in the task force and the departments of chemistry, physics, structural biology and computer science work closely together. The researchers of the international task force decipher the molecular structure of the corona virus. They analyze the arrangement of the atoms in its molecules. The findings were incorporated into the 3D model of the coronavirus model.

Make the level of knowledge understandable

You analyze each of the so far 500 new molecular structures from Sars-CoV-2. They then provide the improved molecular models and other relevant data drug Available to developers worldwide. With this they want to accelerate the development of vaccines and therapy.

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The 3D model realistically depicts the proportions and structures of the Corona Virus. The scale is an incredible 1 to 1 million. In addition to the spines, the coronvirus shell has two other types of protein molecules. The coronavirus varies in shape and size and is not exactly round or symmetrical, as it is often wrongly represented.

Anyone can print the corona virus

For all who ask themselves the question: What does the corona virus look like? the task force provides instructions on its website for 3D Print, for painting the coronavirus and the CAD filesavailable below.

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There, interested parties will also find a current presentation of the infection cycle for Covid-19 disease, blog posts and numerous other information about the molecules of the corona virus. "We hope that we can use it to make the corona virus more understandable," says Dr. Andrea Thorn. She hopes the model will give children and adults some insight into the structural biology of the coronavirus.