New modalities in drug discovery - Peptide design and development for challenging targets

Today, drug development is advancing towards new modalities, including biologics such as monoclonal antibodies, gene and cell therapy, and in focus of this project, peptides and peptides derivatives.

Peptides are gaining increased interest as therapeutics and research tools, driven by the mature chemistry for production, their potency, specificity, and potential applicability to previously inaccessible targets. However, the use of peptides is limited by drawbacks, such as poor stability and bioavailability.

Modifications of peptides offer promising solutions to these limitations and are emerging as a crucial area of investigation in drug development.In the current project we will further advance the field of discovery, design and development of novel peptide modalities. The overall aim is to use peptide chemistry to develop novel biologically active peptides.

Specifically, we will explore the use and effect of novel, structurally constrained, and oligomeric peptide modalities in the: i)               Characterisation of a novel family of ion channel modulators, using the prototypic nemertide alfa-1 as model compoundii)              Design of a new type of antimicrobial compounds, based on a cyclic peptide with potent activity against resistant strains and at high salt conditionsiii)             Develop the concept of using cyclic peptides for autoantibody detection, capture and neutralization, in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Covid-19