Question: How do you come up with cures for viruses?

Malgorzata Dabrowska answered on 25 Nov 2020:

Hi cash49hut,

First you have to know exactly how the virus is build (know it’s genetic material, which kind of membranes it has, what’s inside etc). You have to know about it as much as possible. This part can take some time, especially if it is very rare or new virus. Next, it’s also good to know how this virus acts, from where it came and what is its action (especially when it enters a living organism). When you have all the information, you can start thinking, if there is something already known, that is targeting this particular type of pathogen. If yes, that’s brilliant, you can start testing if it’ll also work on your virus. If not, well, this is harder, because you have to find out what can damage the virus. This step is made of many experiments and trials, so can take a very long time. It is also important, that something what you’ll find harmful for the virus won’t damage the host organism, to which virus entered. As you see it is quite complicated and require a big amount of time. It is a bit easier with bacteria, to find a suitable antibiotic and deal with the problem (of course, once again, not all bacteria are so easy to deal with).