Peptide Synthesis as a Strategy to Combat Microbial Resistance
Location
CoLab, COM 220
Start Date
30-4-2026 10:45 AM
Document Type
Poster
Description
Antibiotic resistance is one of the most urgent health challenges today, causing millions of infections each year in the United States alone. As traditional antibiotics lose effectiveness, peptide-based therapeutics are emerging as promising alternatives. Many antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) disrupt bacterial membranes, making resistance less likely. Data from the DBAASP shows that very short peptides (2–4 amino acids) with hydrophobic residues and an overall positive charge often demonstrate strong antimicrobial activity. In this project, we synthesized a short dipeptide guided by these trends. To reduce environmental impact, the reaction was performed “on water” using a surfactant system instead of relying heavily on dichloromethane. One amino acid was Boc-protected to control reactivity, and peptide bond formation was achieved using EDC as the coupling reagent. The product was purified and analyzed using TLC, NMR, and HPLC. After removing the Boc group to restore the free amine and increase the net positive charge, the peptide was tested for antimicrobial activity. This project combines organic synthesis and green chemistry to explore small peptides as potential solutions to antibiotic resistance."
Peptide Synthesis as a Strategy to Combat Microbial Resistance
CoLab, COM 220
Antibiotic resistance is one of the most urgent health challenges today, causing millions of infections each year in the United States alone. As traditional antibiotics lose effectiveness, peptide-based therapeutics are emerging as promising alternatives. Many antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) disrupt bacterial membranes, making resistance less likely. Data from the DBAASP shows that very short peptides (2–4 amino acids) with hydrophobic residues and an overall positive charge often demonstrate strong antimicrobial activity. In this project, we synthesized a short dipeptide guided by these trends. To reduce environmental impact, the reaction was performed “on water” using a surfactant system instead of relying heavily on dichloromethane. One amino acid was Boc-protected to control reactivity, and peptide bond formation was achieved using EDC as the coupling reagent. The product was purified and analyzed using TLC, NMR, and HPLC. After removing the Boc group to restore the free amine and increase the net positive charge, the peptide was tested for antimicrobial activity. This project combines organic synthesis and green chemistry to explore small peptides as potential solutions to antibiotic resistance."
Comments
The faculty mentor for this project was Meagan Weldele.