Teen finds cheaper way to make drugs against killer viruses

A 19-year-old won $100,000 for inventing a cheaper, faster way to make antiviral drugs out of corn husks

Adam Kovalčík showed off a poster about his research at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in Columbus, Ohio.Chris Ayers Photography/Licensed by Society for ScienceAdam Kovalčík, age 19, innovated a cheaper, faster way to produce an antiviral drug.Galidesivir targets RNA viruses like COVID-19, Ebola, and Zika but hasn't completed clinical trials.Kovalčík won a $100,000 science fair award for using corn waste to synthesize t…

Teen finds cheaper way to make drugs against killer viruses

Columbus, Ohio — Viruses can be scary, and COVID-19 reminded us why. “We can prevent viral diseases quite well by vaccination,” says Adam Kovalčík, 19. But once someone is infected, he says, “it’s very hard to cure them.” This high school senior at Gymnázium Nové Zámky in Slovakia hopes to change that with some clever chemistry. Explainer: What is a virus? Adam invented a process for turning an alcohol made from corn husks and cobs into galidesi…