Buzz
Interested in aiding researchers in understanding and developing a coronavirus vaccine? Contribute by playing this interactive video game.
Foldit, a no-cost puzzle game, challenges players to manipulate protein chains to alter their behavior. Initially developed by the University of Washington in 2008 to crowdsource potential treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer’s and HIV/AIDS, the game recently introduced a new puzzle focused on the coronavirus. Players are tasked with designing or modifying proteins capable of binding to the virus’s spike proteins, thereby blocking its ability to infect human cells and replicate.
Despite its scientific and research-oriented background, Foldit is user-friendly—players can disregard the medical and scientific terminology and concentrate on manipulating the protein structures to achieve the puzzle’s objectives. By clicking and dragging sections of the protein, players alter its shape to meet the game’s goals. Foldit evaluates performance based on efficiency and effectiveness, rewarding points and displaying results on an in-game leaderboard.
The University of Washington plans to evaluate the most promising solutions from the coronavirus puzzle as potential real-world vaccines for COVID-19. While it’s a challenging endeavor, it’s not without precedent. According to PCGamer, Foldit players assisted researchers in deciphering the AIDS virus in 2011—a breakthrough that had eluded scientists for years.
Foldit is accessible at no cost on Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms. You can download it here.
