Speaker:
Title:
Selection for Modified Peptide Inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 Papain-like Protease
Abstract:
Modified peptides are a diverse class of molecules that have garnered pharmaceutical interest due to chemical modifications enhancing their affinity, stability and solubility. In this work, we demonstrate the design of a modified peptide library and evaluate ~10^8 variants for inhibition of the SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease. By coupling a protease-sensitive genetic circuit to a dual selection output, we enable the selection of a 1598 Da peptide with inhibitory activity that is dependent on post-translational modification for activity.