Within the last two decades, SARS and MERS coronaviruses emerged as global health concerns causing severe acute respiratory syndromes. In December 2019, a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was identified in Wuhan, Hubei province in China. The SARS-CoV-2 genome encodes several non-structural proteins including the Spike glycoprotein (S glycoprotein), which plays a crucial role in the infection of the host. The N-terminal part of the Spike protein (S1, residues 1-685) initiates the infection process by attaching the virus to host receptors (ACE2, CLEC4M/DC-SIGNR) located on the cell membrane. This interaction, which leads to the internalization of the virus into endosomes is mediated by a stretch of amino acids (residues 319-545) named the receptor binding domain (RBD). The S Protein RBD represents a valuable tool for drug discovery programs targeting SARS-CoV-2 infection.
