In the face of growing antimicrobial resistance amongst patients, pharmaceutical companies are looking for new compounds. Peptides provide them with thousands of options, but finding suitable candidates is tedious to say the least. An EU-funded project has come up with a method to facilitate their design and production.
Long considered as a ‘no go’ area for researchers because of some inherent disadvantages, peptide pharmaceuticals have been booming over the past few years: By 2024, their market value is expected to grow from USD 19.5 to 45.5 million. This success can easily be explained: peptides benefit from greater efficacy, selectivity and specificity than synthetic drugs.
Further information: Functional peptides for next-gen antibiotics