Peptide News Digest

AACR 2026 Opens in San Diego, CAMPER AI Targets MRSA Persisters, Novo Nordisk-OpenAI Drug Discovery, Semaglutide Liver Mechanism

AACR 2026 opens with peptide cancer therapies in the spotlight; CAMPER AI-designed peptides kill MRSA persisters; Novo partners with OpenAI for drug discovery.

10 stories · Covering industry, research, clinical-trials, regulatory

Editor's Note

Today's digest is anchored by the opening of the AACR Annual Meeting 2026 in San Diego (April 17-22), where peptide-based oncology is front and center: Bicycle Therapeutics will present Phase 1/2 data on its EphA2-targeting bicyclic peptide drug conjugate BT5528 combined with nivolumab, and Circle Pharma secures a coveted clinical-trials plenary slot for its first-in-class oral macrocyclic peptide CID-078. On the antimicrobial front, Nature Communications published two landmark papers — the CAMPER mechanistic AI framework that designed WP-CAMPER1, a 12-mer peptide that kills MRSA persister cells at 4 µg/mL, and enzyme-responsive peptide dendron nanoassemblies that shape-shift to eliminate intracellular drug-resistant bacteria. On the GLP-1 side, a Sinai Health / Cell Metabolism paper reveals that semaglutide's liver benefits in MASH are driven by receptors on liver sinusoidal endothelial cells — independent of weight loss — while a Cell Reports Medicine study pushes back on widespread muscle-loss fears with data showing GLP-1 weight loss preserves relative muscle mass and strength. Novo Nordisk's enterprise-wide partnership with OpenAI, announced this week, rounds out an industry day defined by AI-enabled peptide discovery across oncology, antimicrobials, and metabolic disease.

Industry

AACR Annual Meeting 2026 Opens in San Diego With Peptide Oncology on Center Stage

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026 opens April 17 at the San Diego Convention Center, running through April 22 with 9,500+ sessions, 575 clinical abstracts, 56 clinical trial plenary talks, and 393 late-breaking posters. Multiple peptide biotechs — including Bicycle Therapeutics, Circle Pharma, SignaBlok, and Oncolytics Biotech — are presenting new clinical and preclinical data on macrocyclic peptides, bicyclic peptide drug conjugates, and peptide-based immunotherapies.

#aacr-2026 #oncology #macrocyclic-peptides #peptide-drug-conjugates #san-diego
Research

Nature Communications: CAMPER AI Framework Designs Peptide That Kills MRSA Persister Cells

A Nature Communications paper introduces CAMPER (Constraint-driven AMP Engineering with Ranking), a mechanistic AI framework that integrates machine learning with biophysical ranking to design membrane-targeting peptides against MRSA persisters and biofilms. The framework identified WP-CAMPER1, a 12-mer peptide that kills S. aureus MW2 at an MIC of 4 µg/mL; a 2% topical formulation reduced S. aureus burden by 2.5 log10 in a murine skin infection model.

#camper #mrsa #antimicrobial-peptide #ai #nature-communications #persister-cells
Clinical Trials

Bicycle Therapeutics to Present BT5528 Bicyclic Peptide Drug Conjugate Phase 1/2 Data at AACR 2026

Bicycle Therapeutics will present Phase 1/2 clinical results for BT5528 (nuzefatide pevedotin), an EphA2-targeting Bicycle Drug Conjugate, in combination with nivolumab in patients with advanced solid tumors at AACR 2026. Additional preclinical posters cover BT5528 activity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma xenograft models, plus a novel phage-display-derived bicyclic peptide for EphA2-specific PET imaging.

#bicycle-therapeutics #bt5528 #bicyclic-peptide #epha2 #nivolumab #aacr-2026
Clinical Trials

Circle Pharma's Macrocyclic Peptide CID-078 Lands Clinical-Trials Plenary Slot at AACR 2026

Circle Pharma secured a coveted oral plenary slot at AACR 2026 to present early Phase 1 clinical activity data for CID-078, a first-in-class orally bioavailable macrocyclic peptide cyclin A/B RxL inhibitor for patients with advanced solid tumors harboring RB1 alterations. The plenary (Sunday, April 19) validates macrocyclic peptides as viable oral oncology drugs — a major milestone for the modality.

#circle-pharma #cid-078 #macrocyclic-peptide #cyclin #rb1 #aacr-2026
Research

Cell Metabolism: Semaglutide's Liver Benefits in MASH Driven by Sinusoidal Endothelial Cell Receptors, Independent of Weight Loss

Researchers at Toronto's Sinai Health published in Cell Metabolism that semaglutide acts directly on liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) to reverse MASH independently of weight loss. Although LSECs account for only ~3% of liver cell volume, they are the key driver of hepatoprotection. Semaglutide reversed MASH in mice lacking brain appetite receptors, while mice lacking LSEC receptors saw no liver improvement despite losing 20% body weight.

#semaglutide #mash #lsec #cell-metabolism #liver #sinai-health
Research

Cell Reports Medicine: GLP-1 Weight Loss Does Not Cause Disproportionate Muscle Loss

A Cell Reports Medicine study presenting four preclinical experiments and a proof-of-concept clinical trial reports that GLP-1 medicines predominantly reduce body fat alongside a small but significant decrease in lean body mass in obese mice and humans. Among lean tissues, loss of liver mass exceeds change in muscle mass, and while absolute muscle mass and strength decrease, relative muscle mass and strength improve — translating into better running performance in mice.

#glp-1 #semaglutide #muscle-mass #body-composition #cell-reports-medicine
Industry

Novo Nordisk and OpenAI Launch Enterprise-Wide Partnership to Accelerate Obesity Drug Discovery

Novo Nordisk and OpenAI announced a partnership to deploy AI across R&D, manufacturing, and corporate functions, with pilot programs launching immediately and full integration targeted by end of 2026. The deal positions Novo to analyze complex datasets, identify new drug candidates, and compress R&D timelines as it fights to claw back market share from Eli Lilly. OpenAI will also provide AI literacy training to Novo's global workforce.

#novo-nordisk #openai #ai-drug-discovery #obesity #glp-1
Regulatory

BioCentury: FDA Peptide Plans Reinforce Concerns About Ideology and Politics Influencing Drug Safety

A BioCentury analysis argues the FDA's April 16 decision to convene a July Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting on 12 previously restricted peptides reflects HHS Secretary RFK Jr.'s enthusiasm more than scientific evidence. The outlet warns that most of the peptides under review — for conditions spanning ulcerative colitis, wound healing, obesity, insomnia, and neurological disorders — lack robust clinical safety or efficacy data, and that ideology is increasingly shaping agency decisions.

#fda #biocentury #rfk-jr #pcac #peptide-safety #compounding
Research

Nature Communications: Enzyme-Responsive Peptide Dendron Nanoassemblies Target Intracellular Drug-Resistant Bacteria

A Nature Communications paper describes peptide dendron nanoassemblies that shape-shift in response to bacterial enzymes to eradicate intracellular drug-resistant bacteria while protecting host macrophages. The nanoassemblies combine self-assembling regions, cell-penetrating motifs, enzyme-responsive sequences, and integrin-targeting ligands, transforming from nanoparticles to nanofibers for prolonged cell retention before converting back to nanoparticles for cellular uptake.

#peptide-dendron #nanoassembly #intracellular-bacteria #antimicrobial #nature-communications
Research

Kumamoto University Achieves Oral Insulin Delivery Using Novel DNP Cyclic Peptide Platform

A team at Kumamoto University led by Associate Professor Shingo Ito developed a cyclic peptide (D-DNP-V) that ferries insulin across the small intestine. Combined with zinc-stabilized insulin hexamers and given orally to diabetes models, the platform rapidly normalized blood sugar with once-daily dosing for three consecutive days. A click-chemistry-conjugated DNP-insulin molecule performed equivalently, substantially reducing the high doses that have historically plagued oral insulin.

#oral-insulin #cyclic-peptide #kumamoto #dnp #diabetes #drug-delivery