Members of the Nowick Research Group photographed together at UC Irvine, September 2026.

Department of Chemistry · UC Irvine

The chemistry and biology of peptides,
from Alzheimer’s to antibiotics.

We study how peptides fold, assemble, and behave in cells and bacteria. We design β-hairpin peptides as chemical models of the amyloid oligomers associated with Alzheimer's disease, and we synthesize antibiotics such as teixobactin and clovibactin to work out how they kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

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Ribbon diagrams and sequence schematics of constrained beta-hairpin peptides derived from the amyloid-beta sequences LVFFAED and VMLGIIA.

Amyloid oligomers and Alzheimer’s disease

We design constrained peptides derived from Aβ and other amyloidogenic proteins, then determine the structures of the toxic oligomers they form.

Two triangular trimer mimics derived from amyloid-beta, each leading to a conformation-selective antibody.

Antibodies and immunotherapy

Our oligomer mimics raise conformation-selective antibodies that recognize pathological Aβ and protect neurons, a route toward better probes and treatments.

Chemical structure of an isobactin analogue above a microplate assay showing its minimum inhibitory concentration against MRSA.

Making peptide antibiotics

We synthesize teixobactin, clovibactin and related antibiotics, then build analogues, prodrugs and conjugates that are more potent and easier to use.

Chemical structure of a labeled teixobactin analogue above four fluorescence micrographs of bacterial cells in cyan, green, red and magenta.

How these antibiotics kill bacteria

Fluorescent analogues and X-ray crystallography let us watch teixobactin assemble on the bacterial surface and attack the cell envelope on two fronts.

Schematic of an antiparallel beta-hairpin showing two beta-strands joined by a turn and linked by hydrogen bonds, beside a space-filling molecular model.

β-Sheet chemistry and assembly

β-Sheets connect both programs. The same supramolecular chemistry that drives amyloid oligomers also governs how teixobactin assembles to kill bacteria.