Opportunities and Challenges in Developing Macrocyclic Peptides as Potential Treatments for Substance Abuse
Jane Aldrich
Professor, University of Florida
My lab has been exploring macrocyclic tetrapeptides targeting kappa opioid receptors as potential treatments for substance abuse. These peptides are active after oral administration and penetrate the blood-brain barrier to reach receptors in the brain. As part of the structural optimization of these peptides we are exploring the ADME and physiochemical properties of these peptides, including their metabolism, in vitro permeability, plasma protein binding and solubility in order to enhance their activity in vivo. I'll highlight results from these studies and the challenges to advance these peptides into development as potential therapeutic agents.
Dr. Aldrich received her Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry from the University of Michigan and was an NIH postdoctoral fellow in medicinal chemistry at the University of Minnesota. After 14 years at the University of Kansas she joined the University of Florida in 2015 as Professor of Medicinal Chemistry under the university's Preeminence Initiative in drug discovery and development. Her research focuses on the design and synthesis of of peptidomimetic analogs as potential treatments for substance abuse, pain and cancer, along with peptide synthetic methodology development. She has served as President of the American Peptide Society, Co-Chair of the Gordon Research Conference on the Chemistry and Biology of Peptides, and Chair of the NIH Drug Discovery for the Nervous System study section. She previously served as Chair and is currently a Councilor of the Medicinal Chemistry division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and is an ACS Fellow.