**Preface to "Potential Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Molecular Strategies"**

The COVID-19 pandemic, associated with the SARS-CoV-2, has globally attracted scientific attention on the theme of human coronaviruses and, thus, the prophylaxis and therapy of infections caused by the most pathogenic members of this family have gained enormous relevance in the last three years. When SARS-CoV emerged approximately twenty years ago in China and other countries of Asia as the first deadly member of the group of beta coronaviruses, these RNA viruses were associated with simple colds, seasonal flu, and/or other mild forms of illness. With severe viral diseases such as SARS, MERS -a highly fatal disease in Middle East countries- and COVID-19, humanity has faced the most worrying effects of the beta coronaviruses. Consequently, the fundamental role of drugs such as synthetic and natural protease inhibitors, as well as prophylactic agents for, respectively, the therapy and prevention of the diseases caused by these respiratory viruses emerged in their full importance. This book contains some recent research studies conducted by scholars at the interface between chemistry, biomedicine, and pharmaceutical sciences that contributed to the development of innovative molecular approaches useful not only in the context of the COVID-19 disease, but also for the prevention and therapy of the diseases caused in general by the human beta coronaviruses.

## **Giovanni N. Roviello and Caterina Vicidomini** *Editors*
