To aid in the design of nucleic acid-based therapeutics for the raging COVID-19 pandemic, Ramya Rangan and Ivan (Vanya) Zheludev have worked quickly to conduct a comprehensive conservation analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Their preprint, published today in bioRxiv, identifies in this RNA virus many highly conserved sequences and secondary structure. A follow-up analysis confirms the conservation of many of these regions in the 739 SARS-CoV-2 genomes published during the current outbreak. The regions they have identified provide promising targets for the development of antiviral anti-sense oligonucleotide treatments as we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
