Hines' research found that the stem-loop II motif section of the viral RNA is "highly conserved in the COVID-19 virus, meaning that while other parts of the virus continue to evolve, this part of the virus is normally like a rock. And for the virus to cause disease, it needs to keep replicating inside the human body. So we are looking at this section of the RNA as a possible target for an antiviral."
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Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. The Research Paper: