Laboratory of Biopeptide Engineering

The laboratory of biopeptide engineering is focused on the design of novel bioactive peptide-based pesticides, antimicrobial and antiviral peptides using advanced Liberty Blue peptide synthesizer system. Through the modification of peptide sequences (amino acid replacement, screening, trimming and cyclization), we improve the stability, selectivity and decreases the clearance and toxicity of peptide sequences. We are focused on modifications that improve overall peptide stability, alter structure to better understand biological function, or enhance immunogenicity in plants and microalgae. In addition, we are also focused to the variety of terminal and internal modifications, include peptide labeling and conjugations for imaging and tracking in biological system.

The main research is related to the following topics:

• Synthesis of peptides.
• Design of libraries to optimize novel peptide by replacement scans and validation.
• The study of toxicity in plants and microalgae.
• The study related to abiotic stress.
• The study related with biological function of novel peptides.
• The study related to immunogenicity in plants and microalgae.