«We want to give Foldit players the opportunity to design proteins that can bind to peak protein and prevent infection »Foldit scientist Brian Koepnick explained in a video about the update, while pointing out that it might be a while before we see a solution that works. «We want to emphasize that, Like all the research we do, laboratory tests take time to see if these molecules are safe and effective against coronaviruses ».
So far, the highest solutions accumulate 16,780 points and belong to a group called Go Science and a user called toshiue. Due to the announcement made on Twitter and the impact generated, game servers have suffered recent falls, although the developers are working on keeping it stable.
Today we're calling on YOU to help design antiviral proteins against #coronavirus:https://t.co/ecqJmpXaj8
The most promising solutions will be manufactured & tested at the Institute for Protein Design (@UWproteindesign) in Seattle. #CitizenScience #COVID # COVID2019 #citsci pic.twitter.com/TsknpmwCyN
– Foldit (@Foldit) February 28, 2020
If you are interested in participating and see that you can contribute something, you can access the game website through this link and thus download it to your computer. Obviously do not expect a game that moves through customers like Steam or Epic Games Store, since it is something more homemade and not entertainment oriented. Who knows if from Foldit there is a solution to eradication or at least prevention of coronavirus.
About COVID-19 we recommend that follow information on official channels, such as the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization. On those issues, they are the experts.