Discover Oncology 2026 Review: Antimicrobial Peptides as Anticancer Therapeutics — From Membrane Disruption to Vaccine Adjuvants
A 2026 Discover Oncology review (Springer Nature) consolidated the case for antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as anticancer therapeutics across three mechanistic categories: direct cytotoxicity through cancer-cell-membrane disruption (the same cationic-amphipathic chemistry that makes AMPs antibacterial works on the negatively charged outer leaflet of cancer-cell membranes), intracellular targeting of mitochondria and DNA replication, and use as vaccine adjuvants that boost immune responses to neoantigens. The review joins the May 2026 International Journal of Peptide Research piece on peptide cancer vaccines, the Frontiers in Medicine April 2026 anticancer AMP review, and the Frontiers in Bioinformatics March 2026 computational AMP discovery review as part of the AMP-as-cancer-therapeutic literature wave. Clinical translation remains limited: AMP-based cancer drugs in development are mostly preclinical or Phase 1.