A lipid-tailed ring peptide jams the COVID spike and improved survival in mice
Photo: Image: BioLabs Research
Nature Communications published a study on 28 October 2026 from Shionogi and Hokkaido University describing S-880008, a lipid-modified macrocyclic peptide found through mRNA display screening and then structurally optimised as a SARS-CoV-2 fusion inhibitor. In lab tests it was active against diverse variants, including Omicron lineages. Cryo-electron microscopy showed an unusual dual-binding mechanism: the ring portion anchors a conserved, normally hidden site between the receptor-binding domain and subdomain 1, while the lipid chain reaches into the neighbouring protomer. Together they hold the spike in an all-up conformation, stopping the protomers from separating and blocking fusion. In a mouse infection model it reduced viral titers and improved survival. These are preclinical results only.
Regulations.gov opened docket HHS-OASH-2026-0496 on 30 October 2026 for the HHS draft enforcement discretion policy on 503A compounding with six peptide bulk drug substances, published the same day in the Federal Register (FR Doc. 2026-22192, 91 FR 68526). The docket lists a comment deadline of 11:59 p.m. Eastern on 13 November 2026 and does not accept late comments. HHS files it as a nonrulemaking docket: comments go into a record FDA may consider in future 503A bulks list rulemaking, and they are not a vote. No public comments were posted when we checked on the evening of 30 October. The policy stays interim, non-binding and is not an FDA approval.
For research-community awareness only. Not legal advice.
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AI designed 46 lipopeptides and 44 worked against bacteria
Photo: Image: BioLabs Research
Nature Communications published a study on 17 October 2026 from Shanghai Jiao Tong University describing a deep-learning model that treats the N-terminal fatty-acid chain as a prompt when predicting the antimicrobial activity of lipopeptides. The team mined 2,657 RiPP-derived core peptide sequences from 96,911 bacterial genomes, virtually attached seven fatty-acid chains (C6 to C18) and screened 6,197 candidates down to 289. Of 46 synthesized at random, 44 showed antimicrobial activity, a 95.7% hit rate. The lead compound, LP630, was active against Gram-positive, Gram-negative and mycobacterial strains in the lab and in mouse wound-infection models. These are preclinical results only.
New Peptide Policy: Who Cheered and Who Pushed Back
Photo: Image: BioLabs Research
BioSpace reported on 29 October 2026 that reactions to the HHS draft enforcement discretion policy for 503A compounding with six peptide bulk drug substances split along the same lines as comments to the FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee. The Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding called it "an important step for patients" and the American Academy of Peptide Medicine called it "a vital step toward eliminating the unsafe gray and black markets." The Partnership for Safe Medicines said it "leaves Americans in a gray area", and PhRMA said HHS was telling the FDA to "ignore the law." The six match the advisory committee's July recommendation; the committee voted against a seventh. The policy is interim, non-binding and not an FDA approval. Comments open for two weeks after Federal Register publication, set for 30 October.
For research-community awareness only. Not legal advice.
BioLabs Research has no affiliation with, and no endorsement from, any person named.
