Seminar: "Antimicrobial Peptides: History, Design, and AI Prediction" -Gus Wang, Ph.D.

Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology

 Fermentation Club Seminar Series | Fall 2026

Speaker: Gus Wang, Ph.D., University of Nebraska

Host: Sam Yadavalli, Ph.D.

"Antimicrobial Peptides: History, Design, and AI Prediction"

Abstract:

Antibiotic resistance is a growing issue globally. One solution is to develop a new generation of antibiotics that can eliminate drug-resistant pathogens. Host defense antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising natural candidates. In this seminar, Dr. Wang will give a brief history of AMPs and highlight the design of novel peptides via two major routes: structure-based and database-guided design. The structure-based design was based on the most popular human antimicrobial peptide called LL-37. The database-guided design was made possible by the antimicrobial peptide database his lab constructed. Through these routes, Wang lab has obtained stable, potent, and selective peptides with demonstrated topical and systemic efficacy in murine models. Finally, Dr. Wang will highlight the most recent database development and emphasize the importance of good datasets for AI prediction.