Interview: (Shown protein structure of virus capsid) Explain what you think this structure is, and how knowing the structure may be of relevance to medicine?

(Note that a question like this would be done in parts, with interviewers guiding candidates through the questions based on their answers and their thought processes).

This looks like the outer protein shell of a virus, inside of which would be the viral DNA. The different coloured blocks that make up the structure I presume are different proteins, which would perform different roles in the virus life cycle. This purple one, say, may represent a structural protein to hold the shell in place, and this green one could be involved in infecting cells. Knowing the structure of these proteins, and the overall construction that they build, could help predict drug targets that could interrupt the virus life cycle and potentially cure viral infections. For example, if we could block the interaction between the green protein and its receptor on cells, then we would have a potential drug that could prevent infection by this virus.