Protein Biotechnology Enabled by Precision Supramolecular Probes and Catalysts
Covalent Cage Catalyst Unfolds and Edits Polymers
High throughput Selection
Peptide and protein-based therapeutics can display significant advantages over classical small-molecule drugs, with increased specificity and fewer side effects. At the same time, peptide drugs are more challenging to formulate, deliver, and stabilize than small-molecule drugs. They often display very limited half-lives and are also restricted in their ability to cross biological barriers. To meet this fundamental challenge, our lab develops new high-throughput selection methods to optimize peptide drugs for formulation and delivery, with unique molecular tools derived from our lab’s expertise in organic synthesis, supramolecular recognition, and catalysis.
Rational Computer-Aided Design
Our library design is guided by accurate simulations of peptides interacting with membranes to understand the fundamental mechanisms involved in membrane permeation. We believe that a combination of experimental methods with accurate computational models is needed to get to the bottom of the very complex mechanisms involved in membrane permeation / absorption of complex peptides, ultimately leading to better predictive models for these new modalities.
