Targeted Antimicrobial Peptides Could Help Stamp Out Tooth Decay

Targeted Antimicrobial Peptides

stances, contributing to the mechanisms of host defenses, has been recognized since the late nineteenth century. In 1963, the in vitro antibacterial activity of leukocyte extracts was attributed to basic proteins. Since the late 1980s, cationic peptides with antimicrobial properties have been subsequently identified in other host cells and tissues and in virtually every living species (Lehrer, ...

Help stop tooth decay...and prevent RA?

Stamp out lung cancer

Over the course of the past several decades, we have made only a few small strides in our fight against lung cancer, in spite of significant efforts put in by the medical research community. The overall five-year survival for lung cancer still remains lower than 20%. In the era of molecularly targeted therapies, new drugs, specifically the drugs that target the EGFR and the VEGF pathways, have ...

Enhanced Membrane Pore Formation through High-Affinity Targeted Antimicrobial Peptides

Many cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) target the unique lipid composition of the prokaryotic cell membrane. However, the micromolar activities common for these peptides are considered weak in comparison to nisin, which follows a targeted, pore-forming mode of action. Here we show that AMPs can be modified with a high-affinity targeting module, which enables membrane permeabilization at lo...

Explaining the Food Stamp Cash-Out Puzzle

Empirical studies have shown that food stamp participants spend a higher proportion of their benefit on food than they would with an equivalent amount of cash. Our study demonstrates that this result can be explained by the decisionmaking behavior of multi-adult households. Multi-adult households spend a higher proportion of their food stamp benefit than they would with an equivalent amount of ...