Reflecting work in the Ruvo and Sandomenico Labs
Hemostasis begins with a handshake. When vascular damage exposes tissue factor, TF, to the bloodstream, factor VII, FVII, latches on, instantly engaging the extrinsic pathway and accelerating thrombin generation. Because TF is sequestered...
Reflecting work in the Del Valle Group
Collagen’s mechanical grace comes from a deceptively simple code: repeating Gly-Xaa-Yaa triplets that assemble into three left-handed PPII chains winding into a right-handed triple helix. Nature’s favorites at Xaa and Yaa—proline...
Reflecting work in the Wang and Goldberg Groups
A longstanding challenge in peptide chemistry has been the restricted reactivity of canonical amino acids, which limits late-stage functionalization strategies. Most side chains are inherently nucleophilic, and thus nearly all peptide modification...
Reflecting work in the the Schepartz Lab
Backbone editing offers a powerful way to expand protein function: by introducing β, γ, or δ linkages, researchers can strengthen folds against proteolysis, reshape ligand dynamics, and unlock new routes to modulate protein–protein interactions…
Reflecting work in the Pires Lab
Tuberculosis, TB, remains one of the most pressing global health threats, with more than ten million cases reported in 2022. Once thought to be in gradual decline, TB incidence has reversed course, fueled by the rise of multidrug-resistant, MDR, and extensively drug-resistant, XDR, strains. The causative...
Reflecting work in the Kennedy Lab
Metastasis remains the leading cause of cancer mortality, and one driver of this process is the actin cytoskeleton remodeling mediated by WASF3, a protein strongly upregulated in aggressive tumor types...
Reflecting work in the Lou Group
Targeted protein degradation has rapidly matured into a transformative drug discovery approach, offering ways to dismantle proteins once deemed undruggable. While classical proteolysis-targeting chimeras, PROTACs, exploit the ubiquitin–proteasome system...
Reflecting work in the Del Valle Group
The stabilization of β-sheet structures has long been a challenge in peptide design, despite their central role in mediating protein–protein interactions, PPIs. While side-chain stapling is well-established for constraining α-helical, polyproline II, and loop conformations...
Reflecting work in the Sampaio-Dias Lab
Disorders of the central nervous system linked to dysregulation of dopamine D2 receptors — including depression, drug addiction, Parkinson’s disease, and movement disorders — remain challenging to treat with selectivity...
Reflecting work in the Patnaik Group
In a landmark study, published in ACS Chemical Biology, researchers from the Samarjit Patnaik group at the National Institutes of Health, report the development of a live-cell NanoBRET, Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer, assay...
Reflecting work in the Köhn Group
Professor Maja Köhn took the stage at the 29th American Peptide Symposium in San Diego, her presentation, "Targeting Phosphatases with Peptides and Phosphomimetics," offered a captivating look into one of the most challenging frontiers in molecular medicine...
Reflecting work in the Wu, Tsai, and Yin Groups
Disulfide-rich peptides, DRPs, are renowned for their stability and therapeutic promise, yet their natural structures offer limited flexibility for evolution or functional adaptation. In an innovative and collaborative study, researchers...
Reflecting work in the Serianni Group
The conformational behavior of alanine dipeptide, Ac-L-Ala-NHMe, 1, has long made it a model compound in molecular simulation studies. However, despite numerous investigations using molecular dynamics, MD, and quantum mechanical, QM, calculations, a rigorous...
Reflecting work in the Craik, Gachon, and Chan Labs
Obesity is a leading contributor to global disease burden and a primary risk factor for type 2 diabetes, yet current treatments often lack specificity and long-term efficacy. In a groundbreaking collaborative study, published...
Reflecting work in the Wu, Chen, Zhang, and Luan Groups
While immune checkpoint blockade, ICB, therapies have transformed cancer immunotherapy, tumors such as melanoma frequently exploit the CD47-SIRPα axis to evade macrophage-mediated clearance. Antibody-based CD47 blockade, though...
Reflecting work in the Jiang and Wang Labs
Peptides capable of folding into defined secondary structures serve as promising modular building blocks for supramolecular materials. However, conventional approaches to peptide-based self-assembly are often constrained by environmental...
Reflecting work in the Futaki Group
The delivery of biomacromolecules directly into the cytosol remains a central challenge in therapeutic peptide science. Coacervate-based systems offer a promising platform, yet many are hampered by instability in physiological conditions and diminished performance...
Reflecting work in the Gellman Lab
The rational construction of stable hetero-oligomeric protein complexes with defined subunit composition is a central challenge in molecular design. In this study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, researchers in the Gellman Lab...
Student Spotlight
Highlighting outstanding graduate students shaping the future of peptide science
Meet Rachita Dash, a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in chemistry at the University of Virginia, whose research bridges biology and chemistry in the fight against infectious disease.
Working in the Pires Laboratory, Dash explores how molecular structure influences the ability of drug candidates — including cyclic peptides — to cross complex bacterial cell walls, a critical barrier in the treatment of tuberculosis and other stubborn infections.
Her innovative work has already earned recognition, fellowships, and international presentation opportunities, while advancing a new understanding of “molecular grammar” that could transform how life-saving medicines are designed and tested.
Call for Papers: Chemistry and Biology of Peptides
Inviting groundbreaking contributions at the intersection of peptide chemistry and biology
Peptides stand at the crossroads of chemistry and biology — molecules whose structures, modifications, and functions drive discovery from the lab bench to the clinic. Their ability to fold, interact, and transform makes them powerful tools for understanding biology and advancing therapeutic innovation.
Two leading ACS journals, Biochemistry and The Journal of Organic Chemistry, are collaborating on a joint Special Issue dedicated to the chemistry and biology of peptides. This issue will showcase the latest advances across synthesis, structure, function, and applications, while highlighting the growing impact of peptides in medicine and technology.
Researchers worldwide are invited to contribute original research, reviews, and perspectives that reflect the diversity and promise of peptide science. Manuscripts are welcome through December 31, 2025.
What Current Members Say
“APS provides a forum for connecting graduate students, postdocs and working professionals with each other based on shared professional skills and interests. When it comes time to look for their next position, APS members can count on a strong network of like-minded scientists who value their skills and accomplishments.”
Joshua Kritzer
Professor
Tufts University
“Being an APS member provides a great platform for networking and establishing new collaborations with scientists from around the world with similar scientific interests.”
Eileen Kennedy
Division Chair, Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry; Distinguished Professor
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
“I have been a member of APS since I was a graduate student because of the benefits and opportunities it provided scientists at that stage of my career. Through the years, I have continued to be a member so I can engage with the top researchers working in peptide science from around the globe.”
Marcos Pires
Associate Professor of Chemistry
University of Virginia
Images from San Diego
The 2025 Dr. Elizabeth Schram Award for Young Investigator Oral Presentation winners with presenters. From left to right: Professors Jean Chmielewski and Eileen Kennedy, Doctors Emel Adaligil, James Checco, and Michael Bertucci, flanked by the 1st prize winner Thu Nguyen, NYU, and 2nd prize winner Kira Podolsky, MIT.
The 2025 Dr. Elizabeth Schram Award for Young Investigator Poster Presentation winners with presenters, Chuanhao Peng, University of Alberta, Kristiana Witte, NC State University, Hassan Seyrani, University of Missouri, Haley Anchukaitis, Tufts University, Minhee Lee, Columbia University, Xue Zhao, University of South Florida, Rida Ibrahim, Iowa State University, Rachita Dash, University of Virginia, Albert Kakkis, Scripps Research, and Tristan Dinsmore, Tufts University
Newly elected co-chairs of the Student Activities Committee, from left to right, Doctors James Checco, Ross Cheloha, and Arunika Ekanayake.
Free Membership
Membership is free and open to graduate and undergraduate students, postdocs, professionals, and retired professionals, with an interest in peptides or a related scientific field.