Scientists from the University of Utah collaborated with the Utah-based Sethera Therapeutics to develop an “unexpected” enzymatic approach to therapeutic peptide design.
The research team published their findings in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Lead author Karsten Eastman and his colleagues describe how PapB – a naturally-occurring enzyme found in Paenibacillus polymyxa bacteria – can transform linear peptides into stable circular molecules fit for drug development.