This project aims to develop novel, potent and metabolically stable topical antimicrobial therapies by combining antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with rhenium complexes and integrating them into advanced delivery systems. We explore how rhenium coordination shapes AMP structure, stability and antimicrobial activity, and how encapsulation in tailored carriers further influences performance, with the goal of identifying synergistic effects that surpass the sum of the individual components.
The project addresses the pressing global challenge of antimicrobial resistance by leveraging the unique advantages of AMPs, which show extremely low natural resistance rates. To strengthen their therapeutic potential, we build on three key innovation pillars:
(i) retro-inverso peptide modifications that improve proteolytic stability,
(ii) antimicrobial rhenium compounds capable of enhancing peptide activity through metal coordination, and
(iii) advanced carrier systems (including microcarriers or gel-based platforms) that may boost antimicrobial efficacy through synergistic mechanisms.
The consortium brings together complementary expertise from three research groups:
(i) the Polish team, which has demonstrated how metal ions modulate AMP charge, structure and antimicrobial behavior;
(ii) the Swiss group, specializing in the chemistry and biological activity of rhenium-based antimicrobial complexes;
(iii) the Romanian team, developing optimized carrier systems designed to host AMP–rhenium formulations.
Together, the partners have selected the most stable AMP candidates, designed D-amino-acid and retro-inverso variants, identified suitable rhenium complexes, and planned targeted encapsulation strategies. The project ultimately seeks to determine whether these AMP–rhenium–carrier systems act through simple additive effects or through a more sophisticated synergy that could open pathways toward new antibacterial and antifungal therapies.