The Peptide Aptamer System

The peptide aptamer system represents a novel genetic screening method for the isolation of peptides that can specifically bind, and functionally inactivate, a given target protein under intracellular conditions. The peptides are displayed in a constrained conformation from an inert scaffold protein. This typically results in high binding affinities. Moreover, the preferred conformation of the constrained peptides should aid in the elucidation of their bioactive structure, which is a prerequisite to their use as lead structures for drug design.

Peptide aptamers can be used

- For functional studies of any given target protein, at the intracellular level, by employing peptide aptamers as specific trans-dominant inhibitors.
- to choose and validate potential targets for therapeutic interference.
- to provide lead structures for the development of non-peptide mimetics by drug design
- to generate aptamer-based molecules that may serve directly as peptide drugs.