First, it’s able to attract viruses towards itself using electrostatic charges. Once the virus is close, the macromolecule attaches to the virus and makes the virus unable to attach to healthy cells. Then it neutralizes the virus’ acidity levels, which makes it less able to replicate.
For their study, the researchers ignored the viruses’ RNA and DNA, which could be key areas to target, but because they change from virus to virus and also mutate, it’s very difficult to target them successfully.
Sources
Cooperative Orthogonal Macromolecular Assemblies with Broad Spectrum Antiviral Activity, High Selectivity, and Resistance Mitigation - Macromolecules (ACS Publications)IBM Research-Almaden: San Jose, California
IBM Announces Magic Bullet To Zap All Kinds of Killer Viruses | Fast Company | Business + Innovation
IBM Creates A Molecule That Could Destroy All Viruses | Popular Science
