Structure determination needs to go viral.

ABSTRACT

Viral diseases are expected to cause new epidemics in the future, therefore, it is essential to assess how viral diversity is represented in terms of deposited protein structures. Here, data were collected from the Protein Data Bank to screen the available structures of viruses of interest to WHO. Excluding SARS-CoV-2 and HIV-1, less than 50 structures were found per year, indicating a lack of diversity. Efforts to determine viral structures are needed to increase preparedness for future public health challenges.