Synthetic Proteins

Peptides and small proteins have evolved over millennia to modulate process in living organisms. However, accessing this rich pool of ligands has been limited by our ability to make and modify the natural starting points to develop them into drugs. New Path has developed the tools and chemistries to allow “medicinal chemistry on proteins”.

Lanthipeptides:

Lanthipeptides are a class of natural product, these are heavily post-translationally modified peptides containing sulfide bonds which are synthesised by bacteria as a defence mechanism. They have been shown to have activity as antibacterials, in cystic fibrosis and in cancer.

Exploitation of these molecules has been held back by the complexity of their structure: almost invariably they are isolated from bacterial culture. This limits scientists’ ability to make structural changes to optimise their properties. New Path has developed technologies to enable the efficient total and semi- synthesis of analogues to allow optimisation of activity and pharmacokinetics.

Defensins:

Defensins are small cysteine-rich proteins which occur across cellular life, including vertebrate and invertebrate animals, plants, and fungi. They are host defence peptides, with members displaying either direct antimicrobial activity, immune signalling activities, or both. New Path has developed the technology to synthesise in hours allowing us to easily modify the structure to improve activity and drug-likeness.