Icon representing a puzzle

Beginner Puzzle: Coronavirus

Closed since 5 months ago

Beginner

Summary


Created
September 11, 2025
Expires
Max points
100
Description

Design a protein binder against coronavirus! The starting structure shows how the coronavirus spike protein binds to a human receptor protein. The coronavirus protein (in gray) is mostly frozen, except for the orange and blue sidechains at the binding site. The binding site of coronavirus sticks to the human protein (in color), and this allows the coronavirus to infect human cells. We want to design a new protein that can bind to coronavirus more tightly than the human protein! A tight binder could block the normal coronavirus-human interaction, and might be used as an antiviral drug against coronavirus! Refold and mutate the starting structure to increase your score and improve binding against coronavirus! This is a Beginner puzzle for new players that have joined Foldit in the last 6 months.

Top groups


  1. Avatar for Brain Nourishment 100 pts. 13,232
  2. Avatar for BIOL2020AB Fall2025 2. BIOL2020AB Fall2025 74 pts. 12,993
  3. Avatar for Antharis Therapeutics 3. Antharis Therapeutics 54 pts. 12,981
  4. Avatar for L'Alliance Francophone 4. L'Alliance Francophone 38 pts. 12,928
  5. Avatar for CBE_ProEn_2025 5. CBE_ProEn_2025 27 pts. 12,927
  6. Avatar for BCH3025 S25 6. BCH3025 S25 18 pts. 12,825
  7. Avatar for ddd 7. ddd 12 pts. 12,677
  8. Avatar for Street Smarts 9. Street Smarts 5 pts. 12,554
  9. Avatar for Folders_BIOL6105 10. Folders_BIOL6105 3 pts. 12,157

  1. Avatar for freka25 161. freka25 Lv 1 23 pts. 11,948
  2. Avatar for prsin8148 162. prsin8148 Lv 1 23 pts. 11,948
  3. Avatar for haaba2218 163. haaba2218 Lv 1 23 pts. 11,942
  4. Avatar for hexinyi 164. hexinyi Lv 1 23 pts. 11,926
  5. Avatar for Maher Mahfoud 165. Maher Mahfoud Lv 1 23 pts. 11,923
  6. Avatar for J.Yohannes444! 166. J.Yohannes444! Lv 1 22 pts. 11,913
  7. Avatar for ivesb 167. ivesb Lv 1 22 pts. 11,905
  8. Avatar for hrtleaa 168. hrtleaa Lv 1 22 pts. 11,901
  9. Avatar for Mr_Kir 169. Mr_Kir Lv 1 22 pts. 11,895
  10. Avatar for kouroshx98 170. kouroshx98 Lv 1 21 pts. 11,893

Comments