EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL OF ANTIBIOFILM PEPTIDES: A LITERATURE REVIEW AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

  • Zihan Huang

Student thesis: Master of Philosophy

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the potential of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of biofilm-associated infections. A comprehensive background study is conducted to understand the structure, function, and mechanisms of action of AMPs, as well as the existing literature on the use of AMPs for the treatment of biofilm-associated infections. The review also covers the potential toxicity and immunogenicity of AMPs, as well as the regulatory framework for the development of AMPs as therapeutic agents. The research part proposes experiments to evaluate the efficacy of different classes of AMPs against biofilms, measuring various parameters to assess their effectiveness. The physicochemical properties of AMPs will also be varied to determine the impact of these properties on AMP-biofilm interactions. Additionally, a theoretical model will be developed to explain the activity of AMPs against biofilms, considering the physicochemical properties of AMPs and the biofilm matrix to predict their effectiveness. Two assistive works are also included, the development of a diffusion model to design peptide sequences against biofilms, and the development of a full-automatic liquid dispenser to accurately operate the experiments. Overall, this thesis provides valuable insights into the potential of AMPs as novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of biofilm-associated infections, and offers a comprehensive understanding of the physicochemical properties of AMPs and the regulatory framework for their development.
Date of Award31 Dec 2023
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • The University of Manchester
SupervisorJian Lu (Supervisor) & Henggui Zhang (Supervisor)

Keywords

  • Antimicrobial peptide

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