Researchers at the Bengaluru-based National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) have identified 33 small molecules out of 3, 30,000 that can target one protein — NSP1 — in the Sars-Cov-2 virus, which causes Covid-19. Identifying these molecules may help with drug discovery and examining existing drugs, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), that can be repurposed to treat Covid-19.

Researchers from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore, have developed a mouse model for detecting cells that respond to antipsychotic drugs in live brain tissues. Using this, the team have also discovered that the antipsychotics Clozapine and Olanzapine affect ependymal cells—a class of brain cells responsible for producing cerebrospinal fluid—previously unknown to be affected by antipsychotics.