EDITORIAL | K-State's researchers doing impressive work to fight pandemic

A Sunday story in The Mercury focused on two researchers who are working on antivirals related to coronaviruses, including the SARS-CoV-2 strain that’s caused the current pandemic.

KC Chang and Yunjeong Kim, who work in the College of Veterinary Medicine at K-State, in August published their findings about using a protease inhibitor, which is a type of antiviral drug, to prevent the virus from replicating in human cells.

It’s telling, we think, that when we were discussing featuring K-State virus researchers, we had to ask the reporter, “Which ones?”

Dr. Chang, a professor in the college, and Dr. Kim, an associate professor, aren’t the only people at the university working on coronavirus-related projects.

We’ve also highlighted the work of Waithaka Mwangi, professor of diagnostic pathobiology in the college at K-State.

Over the summer, a vaccine platform he and his team developed became the fourth license agreement between K-State and corporate partners for COVID-19-related technology.

And another professor, Jürgen Richt, has published research on the transmission of the disease in animals.

He found that domestic cats can be asymptomatic carriers of the disease. Meanwhile, he found that pigs are not likely to be carriers.

Peter Dorhout, K-State vice president for research, said research into SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 began in April at the Biosecurity Research Institute. By November, more than $29 million in grant proposals had been written, along with $7.7 million secured for research contracts and a number of new technologies licensed to corporate partners to combat the disease.

“All of us working on COVID-19-related research have been working nonstop to understand this virus, and also come up with any treatment options,” Chang said.

Kim called being a part of the global network of scientists racing to find solutions to the coronavirus pandemic “once-in-a-lifetime.” And let’s hope it is; she added that she doesn’t want to experience something like the pandemic again.

We’re so impressed by these local folks, our neighbors, who are fighting the good fight in a global arena. It makes us proud to live in Manhattan, Kansas.