Corona research at the Faculty of Science

Researchers from the Faculty of Science are investigating SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 and their consequences in many different ways. Right from the start of the coronary pandemic, various research projects have been initiated, often in collaboration with other faculties within Utrecht University, UMC Utrecht as well as other universities and medical centres.

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How does the virus work?

Within the research themes Science for Life and Bioinformatics, various researchers at the Faculty of Science are doing fundamental research into the coronavirus at the level of cells and molecules. For example, they study the influence of certain proteins on the activity of the virus, analyse mutations in SARS-CoV-2, and visualise the molecular structure of coronaviruses using the electron microscope.

Testing, healing and immunity

How do we detect COVID-19 efficiently and accurately, how can we tackle the disease properly and how does immunity against the virus work? These are also research questions that Life Sciences researchers in chemistry, biology and pharmaceutical sciences are working on. Projects include the detection of antibodies against the virus in blood and breast milk and research into the use of enzymes for the destruction of COVID cells.

Impact on society

Researchers from other parts of the Faculty of Science are also studying the consequences of the corona pandemic on a personal level and on society. They are working on questions such as: how should we design public spaces and buildings in order to take social distancing into account? What is the effectiveness of long distance education? How do Dutch people gather reliable news during a crisis like this? And what consequences do the corona measures have on emissions and air quality? These kinds of questions are investigated within the research themes Pathways to Sustainability, Game Research and Complex Systems and at the Freudenthal Institute.