As Americans cross their fingers, hoping the pandemic stays behind them, scientists across the country remain focused on the novel coronavirus, intent on combating its next move.

For many researchers, that means examining mutations in the infamous spike protein and studying ways the virus outsmarts vaccines and their triggered antibody response. Discovery in the area remains critical in understanding the pandemic's course.

But experts at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus say their research underscores the need to investigate the still mysterious SARS-CoV-2 further, a virus that boasts the largest genome known among any RNA viruses so far.

Their findings show the virus has evolved in ways that could outwit the body's own innate immune response, presenting both a worrisome move and a potential pathway to better therapies against COVID-19.

Read more...