Preprint: biphenyl motif boosts short LL-37 derivative potency 16-fold

The wire

1. 01Authors transposed LL-37's N-terminal biphenyl motif onto the central activity region (residues 18-29), improving gram-negative activity more than 16-fold in the lead derivative FF-14.
2. 02LL-37 is tracked closely on the immune-peptide beat; the work suggests shorter, cheaper cathelicidin analogs could approximate full-length activity.
3. 03This is a bioRxiv preprint with in-vitro mechanistic work only; no animal efficacy, toxicity or stability-in-serum data are reported.

From the source

A portable N-terminal biphenyl motif in LL-37 enhances the activity of short human cathelicidin derivatives

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026 Sep 25 · Albin JS, Vithanage DA, Johnson C et al.