Creating something from nothing - functional de novo peptides

Peptides and proteins are composed of the same building blocks, and so can access the same functions. It is only a question of finding the right sequence. Using genetic code reprogramming, non-canonical amino acids can be incorporated into peptides to introduce new functionality, and using mRNA display an active sequence can be selected from a background of inactive ones. Combining these two technologies allows discovery of peptide ligands that are new to nature. This could be a new antibiotic for which no resistance mechanisms exist, or a new function that is as yet unknown in nature. We hope to eventually be able to mimic the diversity of functions found in proteins in the much more manageable package of a (relatively) short peptide.