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 Joina4298 461. Joina4298 Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753
  2. Avatar for JiSu8212 462. JiSu8212 Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753
  3. Avatar for vaina42433 463. vaina42433 Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753
  4. Avatar for DIKRE7621 464. DIKRE7621 Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753
  5. Avatar for chaospacemotion 465. chaospacemotion Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753
  6. Avatar for jodac9409 466. jodac9409 Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753
  7. Avatar for crhua7673 467. crhua7673 Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753
  8. Avatar for ismok5836 468. ismok5836 Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753
  9. Avatar for abobus 469. abobus Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753
  10. Avatar for Deleted player 470. Deleted player pts. 11,753

Comments