Directed Evolution of Specific Cell Penetrating Peptides

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009(Public Law 111-5).0853946Banta Intellectual merit The intellectual merit of this proposal results from the first demonstration of the directed evolution of specific cell penetrating peptides (SCPPs). The directed evolution technique offers tremendous potential for the engineering of new peptides, but the critical challenge in this approach is the development of appropriate selection procedures. The PIs will use a novel bi-functional platform based on phage display technology, and this will be coupled with a physiologically relevant selection protocol. Once optimized, this platform will allow one to rapidly evolve valuable new SCPP sequences.Broader impacts The broader impacts of this project arise from the new experimental manipulations and therapeutic treatment options that will be made possible by the novel SCPPs. Recent research efforts have produced many exciting mechanism-based therapies. However, the delivery of these therapies to their targets has been a significant limitation. The new SCPPs will enable the expansion of the armamentarium of potential therapies for these devastating diseases. This interdisciplinary research project will also provide a fertile environment for the teaching, training, and mentoring of new engineers both at Columbia University and in the surrounding community.