N-Terminal protein modification using adenosine substrates and aminoacyl transferase Problem: The conjugation of synthetic molecules to the termini of proteins with minimal effects on protein folding and function is an active area of biochemical research. Previous N-terminal protein modification methods suffer from side reaction products, incomplete...

Fluorescently labeled α-synuclein to examine destabilization of synuclein fibrils by small molecules and therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases Problem: Misfolding of the neuronal protein α-synuclein triggers oligomerization and the formation of amyloid fibrils that are the pathological hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease. The...

Natural bioactive peptides and hormones with thioamide substitutions at cleavage sites for improved pharmacokinetics Problem: Natural bioactive peptides are attractive lead pharmaceutical compounds, but peptides are subjected to rapid proteolysis in vivo. The majority of the time spent in peptide biologic drug development seeks to reduce this protein...