AI-Designed Antimicrobial Peptide Class CAMPER Advances Against MRSA Persister Cells; Self-Assembling RFC Peptide Mimics Neutrophil Extracellular Traps
Two 2026 antimicrobial peptide research programs continue to press on multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. CAMPER (a mechanistic artificial intelligence system for designing peptides that target MRSA persister cells, published 2026) generated a new class of AMPs that reach the metabolically dormant persister subpopulation that survives conventional antibiotic exposure and drives biofilm relapse. Li et al. (2026) developed RFC, a self-assembling peptide that mimics the structure and function of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), forming nanofibrillar networks that entrap bacteria and disrupt their membranes. Separate work published this year characterized photo-responsive amyloid nanoNETs from lysozyme-derived nanofibrils that combine antibacterial activity against MRSA with promotion of tissue regeneration under near-infrared stimulation. Synergistic combinations with existing antibiotics (nisin, indolicidin, and α-MSH analogs with β-lactams) continue to show improved anti-biofilm efficacy in vitro. The programs are still preclinical but keep antimicrobial peptides in serious development at a time when the small-molecule antibiotic pipeline remains thin.