houston scientists have resolved the structure of a molecule which the novel coronavirus uses to make its genetic sequence seem like a part of the hosts own an advance that may lead to the development of new antiviral drugs against covid19according to the study published in the journal nature communications the molecule nsp10 modifies the viral mrnas which are blueprints for producing proteins to mimic host cells own mrnasthe researchers from the the university of texas health science center at san antonio ut health san antonio in the us said by enabling this modification nsp10 protects the virus from host cell immune responseits a camouflage because of the modifications which fool the cell the resulting viral messenger rna is now considered as part of the cells own code and not foreign said yogesh gupta a coauthor of the study from ut health san antonioaccording to the researchers deciphering the 3d structure of nsp16 paves the way for the design of new drugs against the novel coronavirus sarscov2 and other emerging coronavirus infectionsthese drugs gupta said can be designed to inhibit nsp16 from making the modifications so that the host immune system would pounce on the invading virus recognising it as foreignyogeshs work discovered the 3d structure of a key enzyme of the covid19 virus required for its replication and found a pocket in it that can be targeted to inhibit that enzyme this is a fundamental advance in our understanding of the virus said study coauthor robert hromasbased on the findings the researchers have suggested structural sites on the sarscov2 nsp10 molecule which they say can be targeted for antiviral development