In a joint publication with the labs of Prof. JJ Cheng (MatSE, UIUC) and Prof. Gerard Wong (BioE, UCLA), Rachael and Prof. Ferguson have published a paper in PNAS on the design and characterization of novel antimicrobial peptides possessing unique radial amphiphilicity entitled “Helical antimicrobial peptides with radial amphiphilicity“. Rachael and Prof. Ferguson led the molecular modeling effort to quantify the radially amphiphilic structure and charge distribution in atomistic detail. The structure of the peptides with a hydrophobic core and cationic shell enables them to efficiently bind to bacterial membranes while decreasing non-specific interactions with eukaryotes. In addition to possessing native antimicrobial properties, they are also effective adjuvants that increase permeation and activity of commercial antibiotics by one to two orders of magnitude. The radially amphiphilic design may present a useful platform for the treatment of drug-resistant bacteria. Read the UofI press release here.
