Of Scientists and Sundews

When not in a pandemic, Professor Rachel Martin studies the interesting enzymes in carnivorous plants. When she realized that coronavirus relies on the same type of enzyme, she got to thinking about how she could use her expertise to help the world. Fast forward a few weeks, and this project has expanded to a campus-wide collaboration including professors Carter Butts, Doug Tobias, Andy Borovik, Vy Dong, Liz Jarvo, James Nowick, and Jenn Prescher. The team hopes to design a drug that will stop key coronavirus enzymes from functioning, preventing the virus from reproducing.

You can follow Rachel Martin @rachelmartin the Martin lab @martinlabuci.For more research, you can follow @UCIChemistry or @UCIPhysSci.