Peptides are bioactive intermediates between small organic molecules and large biological compounds like antibodies or proteins. These compounds play a unique and valuable role as therapeutic agents, owing to their unique biochemical properties and versatility in treating a wide range of diseases such as metabolic disorders, cancer therapy, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agents. The global peptide therapeutics market is projected to exceed USD 50 billion by 2024, reflecting the increasing demand and interest …

Surface-proteins interactions play key roles in many domains such as biomedicine, nanotechnology and the biology of plant-insect interactions. This article proposes a platform that allows to quantify surface interaction of proteins with chitin and chitosans to further discriminate and study specific interactions of proteins with chitin-binding domains (CBD). The platform consists in covalently grafted chitosan thin films of various degrees of acetylation (DA) through surface silanisation, spin-coating and water-te…

Therapeutic peptides offer a promising balance between specificity, safety, and bioavailability. However, their clinical use is limited by poor in vivo stability and short half-life, requiring frequent administrations that can compromise patient compliance and therapeutic outcomes. NX210c, a synthetic cyclic dodecapeptide derived from the thrombospondin repeat motif of the sub-commissural organ-spondin shows neuroprotective effects, making it a promising candidate for the treatment of neurological disorders. Howev…

Exposure to environmental heavy metals and disruptions in physiological metal homeostasis are significant contributors to neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. To counteract heavy metal toxicity, a biopolymer consisting of chitosan functionalized with DOTAGA ligands (Chitosan@DOTAGA) was developed. By blending conventional chitosan with Chitosan@DOTAGA, biodegradable fibres with controlled diameters (192.3 ± 14.5 μm) were engineered and their mechanical properties characterized (Young's modulus of 0.115 ± …

Nanotubes of P3HT exhibit broadly modulable conductive properties in dependence on their thickness. Conductivity values higher for P3HT nanotubes than for the bulk or P3HT nanowires are reported, due to orientation effects.