image: This schematic illustrates the AI-powered pipeline for designing novel antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Through sequence and structure modeling, AI models enable rational design and de novo generation of AMPs with diverse functions, including membrane disruption, ROS generation, and immune modulation. These peptides show broad applications across medicine, agriculture, and the food industry.
Credit: Food & Medicine Homology, Tsinghua University Press
As antibiotic resistance continues to rise globally, scientists are turning to antimicrobial peptides (AMPs)—natural defense molecules—as a promising alternative. However, their clinical use has been limited by challenges such as toxicity, poor stability, and unclear mechanisms of action. A new opinion article published in Food & Medicine Homology highlights how artificial intelligence (AI), nanotechnology, and interdisciplinary research are revolutionizing AMP design and application.
The article, titled “Harnessing Innovations in Antimicrobial Peptide Design: From AI-Driven Discovery to Precision Targeting Mechanisms,” outlines recent breakthroughs from leading research groups across China. Teams from Zhejiang University, Dalian University of Technology, Ocean University of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Guizhou Medical University have made significant strides in designing, optimizing, and delivering AMPs with enhanced efficacy and safety.
“AI-driven design frameworks can now generate highly effective AMPs in a matter of days, significantly shortening the development cycle,” said Jin Zhang, a corresponding author of the paper and associate professor at Guizhou Medical University. “We are moving toward a future where we can design peptides with tailored functions—whether for killing pathogens, modulating immunity, or promoting tissue repair.”
One standout example comes from Zhejiang University, where researchers used a combination of protein language models and reinforcement learning to design 18 broad-spectrum AMPs in just 11 days. These peptides showed potent activity against drug-resistant bacteria at concentrations in the low μg/mL range, with no significant resistance development observed in in vitro serial-passaging experiments.
Meanwhile, Guizhou Medical University’s team developed a rational design platform for antifungal peptides that integrates machine learning and multi-objective optimization. “We successfully predicted and validated peptides that disrupt both fungal membranes and mitochondrial function,” Zhang added. “This dual mechanism greatly reduces the chance of resistance.”
Nanotechnology also plays a key role in enhancing AMP delivery. The Chinese Academy of Sciences designed an enzyme-responsive hydrogel that releases AMPs on demand in bone marrow infections, while Fuzhou University developed metal-peptide complexes that generate reactive oxygen species to kill bacteria and aid wound healing.
Beyond medicine, AMPs are being explored in agriculture as eco-friendly pesticides and in the food industry as natural preservatives. “Their multifunctionality makes them ideal candidates for sustainable solutions across sectors,” said Ning-Xian Yang, the first author.
The authors emphasize that future progress will depend on integrating AI, multi-omics, synthetic biology, and smart materials. “We are working toward low-cost production, enhanced stability, and long-term resistance monitoring,” Yang noted. “The goal is to translate these innovations into safe, effective, and accessible therapies.”
The article was published on July 11, 2025, in Food & Medicine Homology.
Funding:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Nos. 82360700 and 32560063].
About the Authors
Ning-Xian Yang is a professor at Guizhou Medical University and focuses on medicinal plant applications and natural product research.
Dao-Ping Wang is an associate researcher at State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, Natural Products Research Center of Guizhou Province, mainly focuses on medicinal plant applications and natural product research.
Jin Zhang is an associate professor at Guizhou Medical University and leads research in bioactive peptide design. He has extensive experience in computational biology and antimicrobial drug development.
Peng Luo is a professor at Guizhou Medical University and specializes in public health.
For more information about their work, visit the institutional website of Guizhou Medical University.
Journal
Food & Medicine Homology
Article Title
Harnessing Innovations in Antimicrobial Peptide Design: From AI-Driven Discovery to Precision Targeting Mechanisms
Article Publication Date
11-Jul-2025