The present experiment proposes to evaluate the action of the neuraminidase inhibitor NUMY-06 of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Specifically, the more infectious variants of the virus are caused by a mutation in the P681R glycosyl hydrolase protein on the surface of the coronavirus, so NUMY-06 action is expected to inhibit P681R enzymatic activity and thus eliminate the contagious effects of the pathogen. Since the study cannot be conducted on humans for known reasons, the use of human lung immortalized cell culture as a targeting location for the pathogenic effects of COVID-19 is proposed (Chua et al., 2019). In this case, the experiment’s independent variable is the concentration of the inhibitor NUMY-06 affecting neuraminidase — this should range from 0% (control) to the maximum safe concentration assumed to affect P681R. As a consequence, the dependent variable is the pathogenic effect — quantitatively and qualitatively — that the virus has on immortalized cells. This includes visual effects (cell viability) as well as the number of surviving/dead cells as a result of exposure to different concentrations of the inhibitor. No placebo is necessary for this experiment because the effects are entirely dependent on exposure to the substance; in other words, there are no psychosocial factors in this experiment, which means that the end result is entirely dependent on the biochemical responses, for which no placebo effects are required.
To ensure the statistical significance of the experiments, it is necessary to make sure that the sample size is sufficient. Some evidence suggests that thirty observations per group are necessary and sufficient to achieve statistically significant differences or no differences between concentrations (Ganti, 2022). In other words, if the number of concentrations, including controls, is five, then this experiment’s total number of observations must be at least 150. Finally, the experiment indicates that the inhibitor is “slightly basic,” indicating its chemical nature. In particular, it indicates the acidity of NUMY-06: the pH of the solution of this substance is above seven.
References
Chua, S. C., Tan, H. Q., Engelberg, D., & Lim, L. H. (2019). Alternative experimental models for studying influenza proteins, host–virus interactions and anti-influenza drugs. Pharmaceuticals, 12(4), 147-161.
Ganti, A. (2022). Central limit theorem (CLT). Investopedia. Web.