Leeds experts lead the way in finding Ebola cure
The University of Leeds has received a £200,000 grant to fight the virus.
The University of Leeds have received a £200,000 grant to try and find a cure for the Ebola virus.
The University will be using the “equivalent of password cracking software” to try and learn more about the virus and how to tackle it.
At the moment there are many drugs which prevent the virus, but there aren’t currently any effective drugs to treat people once they get infected which is what Leeds University want to change.
It’s believed this grant will allow the University of Leeds to lead the way with this research as they have a unique skill set in the University and equipment. This includes the ability to use some of the computer systems in learning about the biology and chemistry behind the virus.
Radio Aire spoke to Doctor John Barr, who explained the basic concept of the research: “We think if we can do that we should be able to stop the virus from growing and therefore stop it from causing disease”.
“At the moment there aren’t any good vaccines available. So what we need is some preventative measure, or maybe even a therapy to stop the disease in people who are already infected.”
“Supposing we know some of the shapes of some of the building blocks that actual make the virus up. It’s possible to be able to put a spanner in the works. So hopefully stop the virus spreading and causing disease.”
“The reason why we think we can do a good job here at Leeds is that we have this computer programme that is quite specific. No one else has this technology that’s exactly the same. So it could be that we’re able to find something that’s just slightly different to everyone else.”