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The COVID-19 Demogorgon (aka spike) in action
The spike of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (shown below) is one particularly appealing target for designing therapeutics to combat the COVID-19 disease. It is actually comprised of three identical proteins arranged in a circle. Many copies of the spike protrude from the surface of the virus, where they wait to encounter a protein on the surface of many human cells, called ACE2. Binding of a spike to ACE2 initiates a series of events that ultimately allow the virus to enter the human cell. Therefore, therapeutics that bind the spike in a manner that blocks its interaction with ACE2 could provide a valuable means to prevent infection.
https://foldingathome.org/2020/04/03/capturing-the-covid-19-demogorgon-aka-spike-in-action/
