Breakthrough research at UT Austin is protecting the world against COVID-19 Jason McLellan lab’s study of the coronavirus’s spike protein has been instrumental in creating vaccines. McLellan, an associate professor of molecular biosciences at UT, leads a research team that has helped other scientists understand the nature of the coronavirus.(Courtesy of UT Austin) 11:33 AM on Mar 12, 2021 CST In the past year, scientists around the world have worked to respond quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic. The University of Texas at Austin is among the top universities in the nation for pandemic research and has played a crucial role in protecting against the virus. Along with researchers at the National Institutes of Health, UT’s Jason McLellan and his team have made a number of key discoveries, which major drug companies have used to develop vaccines.