ACE2 and infection: The D-stapled peptide again emerged as a top hit against SARS-CoV-2 Beta strain (B.1.351) live virus, completely blocking infection of A549-ACE2 cells at the 4 μM screening dose (Fig. 1h), along with several other stapled constructs that exhibited relatively higher potencies in B.1.1.529.1/2 pseudoviral assays as well (B, G, K, L, N) (Fig. 1e, f, h).