SUDBURY -- A researcher at Laurentian University has received a $200,000 grant from the federal government to buy equipment to boost his research into stopping the coronavirus.

Stefan Siemann, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is part of a global network of experts using 3-D imaging technology to find potential weaknesses in the cell structure of SARS-Cov-2, the virus responsible for the current pandemic.

This week, the Canada Foundation for Innovation announced Siemann will receive $200,000 for two pieces of equipment "which will bring his efforts to the next level," the university said in a news release.

The equipment, a fluorometer and a microplate reader system, are key to help Siemann and his team investigate an enzyme called Mpro.

"Vital in the replication of the virus, the researchers' end game is to find a compound that will block Mpro from replicating more cells of SARS-Cov-2," the release said. "This will, in theory, halt or diminish the spread of the virus."

"The research infrastructure funding announced by the Hon. Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry could not have come at a better time for scientists in Canada including Laurentian’s Dr. Stefan Siemann," Tammy Eger, vice-president of research at Laurentian University, said in the release.

"We are incredibly proud of Dr. Siemann and his research collaborators who are using advanced scientific tools and novel methods in the fight against COVID-19."

This grant is one of 79 projects being funded through the government's Exceptional Opportunities Fund. Announced recently, the funding includes $28 million for similar projects at 52 institutions across Canada, as part of the federal government's larger commitment to bring the devastating effects of the pandemic to heel.