The novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected over 68.2 million people worldwide and has claimed more than 1.56 million lives. While vaccines are developed and administered to frontline health workers, the drug design progression against this infection is still in its infancy.
Research in this context focuses on the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2. A wide array of spike proteins envelope the virus, resembling a corona. These spike proteins are the key infection machinery of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. They bind to the host receptors (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, ACE2), enabling the virus’s entry into the host.
