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Structure
of Peptides and Proteins |
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The
purpose of our research is the conformational analysis and 3-D
structural elucidation of peptides and proteins of biological
interest. Our range goes from small cyclic depsipeptides of less
than 10 residues to proteolitic enzymes of more than 70.000
Da of molecular weight. We use a variety of instrumental and
computational tools with a special focus however, on the
use of high-field nuclear magnetic resonance. |
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Molecular
Recognition
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Our
main interest is the design and synthesis of peptide molecules
that are able to recognize specific hot-spots at protein surfaces.
We use this knowledge to modulate protein-protein interactions.
From a methodological point of view we use computational tools,
mainly genetic algorithms, combinatorial chemistry, high-field
NMR and mass-spectrometry. |
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Peptides
as Potential Therapeutic Agents |
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The
use of peptides as therapeutic agents has still more drawbacks than
advantages. However, we think that they can still be used in the design
of drugs that are involved in protein-protein recognition events. Our
activity in this area is focused on: the optimization of peptide ADME
properties (specially blood brain barrier permeability), the discovery
of new drug delivery systems (proline-rich peptides for intracellular
drug delivery), the development of inhibitors of amyloid formation
(beta amyloid peptide from Alzheimer disease) and the discovery of POP
inhibitors (schizophrenia and bipolar disorders). More recently we have
started a new area of research addressing the use of peptides in
Nanomedicine. |
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