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PNNL Researchers
Confront COVID-19
Challenges

National laboratory draws on its people, capabilities
to tackle deadly coronavirus

We at PNNL have channeled our spirit, our knowledge, and our skills to create a leading effort to stop the pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus. This work is at the core of our mission—to keep the nation and the world safe and secure.

Even before the virus now known as SARS-CoV-2 had a name, our scientists were tracking its progress. Since then, scores of our researchers have pivoted to study the virus, exploring ways previously unimagined to take down COVID-19 and stop the pandemic. All told, in the first year, our scientists encountered a new and powerful virus, brainstormed multiple ways to address it, established collaborations around the globe, attracted funding, and opened promising new avenues to stop it.

Since then, several vaccines have been created that limit the spread of the virus. But the existence of dangerous variants calls for ongoing scientific research to counter the rapidly changing threat. We also need to continue the search for better drugs to treat those who have been infected. And we need to be prepared—to manage huge amounts of data, to pivot instantly in the future should another potent virus present itself, and to spot and address risks quickly and effectively.

Fortunately, the energy and expertise that PNNL scientists have poured into stopping COVID-19 make all those things more likely.

Below are short snippets and links to some of the ways we are contributing to the effort against COVID-19. Our efforts are coordinated through the National Virtual Biotechnology Laboratory, a consortium of all 17 Department of Energy national laboratories focused on response to COVID-19. Together, our laboratories bring a powerful collection of capabilities—but more important, our people, their know-how and commitment—to tackle the virus and its effects.

 

Increasing COVID-19 testing and addressing other critical needs

COVID Testing

Early in the pandemic, a PNNL team increased the nation’s capacity to test for COVID-19, demonstrating that reagents and equipment from additional manufacturers meet the standards needed to yield accurate test results. Across campus, climate scientists and building experts have performed sophisticated experiments to track exactly how the virus moves in buildings. The work is part of a nationwide project led by a PNNL scientist that’s tackling questions about how the virus moves in offices and classrooms and even on school buses and in wastewater. Another team quickly developed a new 3D printing capability to alleviate shortages of ventilator components.

 



Laying the groundwork for future medicines, additional vaccines

virus tools

Multiple PNNL laboratories are learning more about the activity of SARS-CoV-2. The virus slips by our immune defenses, then commandeers our molecular machinery to churn out copies of itself, attacking and sometimes overwhelming our bodies. PNNL biologists and chemists are deploying tools like nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to get an unprecedented view of the virus at the core of the COVID-19 pandemic. Others are using machine learning and a range of laboratory techniques to look for weaknesses in the virus’s defensive armor as a guide to the creation of molecules that could disable the virus. Biomedical scientists are tapping their world-class expertise with proteins to work with physicians to analyze protein activity in patients who have had the disease. A guide to the proteins affected by COVID-19 would serve as a roadmap for knocking out viral activity.

 

 

Viral action and our response 

Hypergragh

One team is analyzing atmospheric conditions like temperature, humidity, and pollution, looking for links that help explain how the virus spreads. Other PNNL scientists are taking a close look at protein samples from the breath of patients, searching for clues for how patients with COVID-19 responded to infection. Another team is looking at the cascade of events in the lungs that can result in death—which molecules respond to infection and which help most to fight off the virus? Computational scientists are taking a particularly close look at the nasal microbiome—the community of microbes in the nose—exploring which mix of microbes makes some people vulnerable to infection.

 

 


National laboratory charts the path forward for COVID-19

dashboard

Already, tens of thousands of research studies about COVID-19 have been put forth by scientists. Every day brings an onslaught of new data. Managing the glut of data and immediately spotting vital information is a challenge all by itself. PNNL data scientists are using machine learning to address this problem, compiling succinct reports of top developments daily for the nation’s officials. Their colleagues are deploying similar skills to analyze social media activity, providing data to understand citizens’ perceptions around issues like face masks and social distancing—all to help guide the nation’s response to the virus.

 

 

 

Demystifying COVID-19 for the community

Researchers are working on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic

In a special edition of our Community Science and Technology seminar series, PNNL scientists told the story of the science behind COVID-19, including how COVID-19 made the initial jump from animal to human populations, how we can stop it in its tracks, what to expect next, and more. The seminar series drew participants from around the nation and included questions and input from local community leaders anxious to address concerns about the pandemic.

Some of our specific developments related to COVID-19

OCTOBER 25, 2022
News Release

COVID-Causing Virus in Air Detected with High-Tech Bubbles

Read
SARS-CoV-2 virus
JUNE 28, 2022
News Release

COVID-19 Fattens Up Our Body’s Cells to Fuel Its Viral Takeover

Read
Invasion of a cell by COVID virus
MARCH 22, 2022
Feature

Detail Matters for Understanding COVID-19 Impacts on Electricity Use

Read
Blue scale composite image of a house with a city skyline in the background
FEBRUARY 21, 2022
Director's Column

PNNL Coronavirus Research Unlocks Clues for Fighting COVID-19

Read
Jennifer Kyle at work in a laboratory at PNNL.
FEBRUARY 15, 2022
News Release

Beset in Mucus, Coronavirus Particles Likely Travel Farther Than Once Thought

Read
Cough disperses particles
NOVEMBER 2, 2021
News Release

Cellular Quality-Control System Identified as a Culprit in Coronavirus Infection

Read
Camel tested
SEPTEMBER 21, 2021
Feature

Preparing for a Future Pandemic with Artificial Intelligence

Read
illustration of coronavirus particle and computer networks
SEPTEMBER 14, 2021
Feature

Fighting Viruses with Algae

Read
Green single cell overlaid with an artist's depiction of the coronavirus
APRIL 21, 2021
News Release

Faster Air Exchange in Buildings Not Always Beneficial for Coronavirus Levels

Read
Ceiling vent
DECEMBER 15, 2020
Feature

From Molecule to Medicine via Machine Learning

Read
illustration of coronavirus on blue and green background
NOVEMBER 9, 2020
Feature

PNNL Researchers Shift Project’s Focus to Regional COVID-19 Patients

Read
illustration of lungs with multicolored lines inside
NOVEMBER 6, 2020
Feature

Another Emerging Coronavirus Has the Potential to Infect Humans, Scientists Find

Read
Piglets
NOVEMBER 2, 2020
Feature

COVID-19 Pandemic Sparks 3D Printing Engineering Innovation

Read
Michelle Fenn
SEPTEMBER 28, 2020
Feature

Advanced Mathematics Condense COVID-19 Complexity

Read
an illustration of a white circular graph on a blue background surrounded by viral particles
SEPTEMBER 21, 2020
News Release

PNNL, UW Broaden Capacity to Test for COVID-19

Read
Covid Testing Tubes
SEPTEMBER 14, 2020
News Release

Tracking a Pandemic—Through Words

Read
globe surrounded by red illustrations of the coronavirus
SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
Feature

PNNL Team Taps Twitter to Explore Perspectives on COVID-19 Response

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Screen shot of WatchOwl
JULY 13, 2020
Feature

PNNL Fights COVID-19 on an Array of Research Fronts

Read
COVID research - test tubes
JUNE 30, 2020
Feature

PNNL’s Water Repellent Substance Could Enter Coronavirus Fight

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ElastiDry, a superhydrophobic material, developed by researcher Curtis Larimer
JUNE 9, 2020
News Release

PNNL Waives Fee to Test-Drive Portfolio of Intellectual Property

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ElastiDry is superhydrophobic material that completely repels liquids.
APRIL 20, 2020
Director's Column

Richland scientists respond to COVID-19 global pandemic with research and technology

Read
Garry Buchko, a biochemist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, is part of a Seattle-based collaboration that is taking a close look at the structure of coronavirus proteins. Their work to better understand the role of each protein could help inform approaches for developing vaccines or treatment.
MARCH 31, 2020
Feature

Scientists Take Aim at the Coronavirus Toolkit

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Thumbnail of coronavirus composite
MARCH 23, 2020
Feature

Defense against Coronavirus Starts with Prevention

Read
Fighting coronavirus

Research topics

Biology
Human Health
Graph and Data Analytics
Artificial Intelligence
Chemical & Biothreat Signatures
National Security
Scientific Discovery
Integrative Omics

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