Infectious diseases
Viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi cause some of the deadliest illnesses on Earth.
Every pathogen depends on a small set of proteins to copy itself and survive in a host. Block one of those proteins and you can stop the infection. In viruses, two stand out: proteases, which cut newly-made viral proteins into working pieces, and polymerases, which copy the genetic code so new viruses can form. Folding@home has studied proteins like these for several of the infectious diseases below.
Chagas & sleeping sickness
Parasitic infections in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. Existing treatments are toxic and unreliable.
COVID-19
The disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that swept the world in 2020.
Dengue fever
A mosquito-borne virus that infects hundreds of millions of people each year.
Ebola virus
A filovirus that causes hemorrhagic fever with mortality rates up to 90%.
Hepatitis C
A bloodborne virus that slowly destroys the liver and can lead to cancer.
Zika virus
A mosquito-borne flavivirus linked to severe birth defects.