A team of US scientists, led by an Indian-origin researcher, has identified a set of human genes that fight SARS-CoV-2 infection, the virus that causes Covid-19. According to Sumit K. Chanda, professor and director of the Immunity and Pathogenesis Programme at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, the scientists have gained new insights into how the virus exploits the human cells it invades. "We are still searching for its Achille's Heel so that we can develop optimal antivirals," Chanda said in a paper published in the journal Molecular Cell. Knowing which genes help control viral infection can greatly assist researchers' understanding of factors that affect disease severity and also suggest possible therapeutic options. The genes in question are related to interferons, the body's frontline virus fighters. Soon after the start of the pandemic , clinicians found that a weak interferon response to SARS-CoV-2 infection resulted in some of the more s...