Nature Africa reported on 29 October 2026 on University of Pretoria work that screened 116 antimicrobial peptides reported from African wildlife and kept 46 shorter candidates. A 16-amino-acid fragment of a southern African scorpion's venom peptide inhibited all 12 bacterial strains tested and showed little toxicity to mammalian cell lines, while an 8-amino-acid version showed no detectable activity. In wax-moth larvae infected with multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, 87% of treated larvae survived, against 83% with the comparison antibiotic polymyxin B. The peptide kept activity in serum but was broken down by the enzyme trypsin. The larva results come from a preprint, and these are early findings only; stability, mammalian models and safety remain untested.
The HHS draft enforcement discretion policy for 503A compounding with six peptide bulk drug substances (FR Doc. 2026-22192, published 30 October 2026) applies only when all ten of its conditions are met. Under condition 7, a compounded product may contain only one active ingredient from Appendix A, so combining two or more falls outside it; HHS says this makes adverse events easier to attribute. Under conditions 3 and 4, the original manufacturer of the bulk substance, not a repacker or distributor, must be FDA-registered under section 510 and CGMP-compliant, with its facility address on the COA. Under condition 5, serious adverse events and quality issues go to FDA's MedWatch and the States. LumaLex Law noted on 29 October that missing any of these could put a compounder outside the policy. It is interim, non-binding and not an FDA approval; comments close 13 November 2026.
For research-community awareness only. Not legal advice.
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Two lab peptides flip a heart-cell calcium switch in opposite directions in mice
Photo: Image: BioLabs Research
Nature Cardiovascular Research published a study on 27 October 2026 from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Emory University and the University of Manitoba on mitofusins, proteins on the mitochondrial surface. The team used two cell-permeable peptides that change mitofusin shape in opposite ways. The activator brought the endoplasmic/sarcoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria closer, increased calcium transfer and enlarged infarct size in mice; this depended on mitofusin 2, not mitofusin 1, and on the mitochondrial calcium uniporter. The inhibitor reduced calcium transfer and infarct size in mice, even when given only after reperfusion began. The effects were independent of mitochondrial fusion. These are preclinical results only.
HHS peptide policy: why a purity number alone no longer counts as a full COA
Photo: Image: BioLabs Research
The HHS draft enforcement discretion policy for 503A compounding with six peptide bulk drug substances (FR Doc. 2026-22192, published 30 October 2026) lists in Appendix B what a certificate of analysis must contain; Drug Topics noted on 29 October that a purity percentage alone would be insufficient. The list includes the original manufacturer's name, FDA Establishment Identifier and address, batch number, synthesis, release and expiry dates, identity confirmed by at least two independent orthogonal methods, impurity, residual solvent, elemental impurity and endotoxin results, and a dated signature from the quality unit. A registered distributor or repacker does not replace registration of the original manufacturer. The policy covers compounding for patients only, is interim, non-binding and not an FDA approval. Comments close on 13 November 2026.
For research-community awareness only. Not legal advice.
