Ranchi, June 20: In a major advancement in regenerative medicine, scientists from the Department of Bioengineering and Biotechnology at BIT Mesra have developed innovative smart peptides capable of detecting and responding to changes in body pH. The breakthrough, achieved at the department’s Advanced Bio-Computing Lab, holds significant promise for wound healing, tissue engineering, and targeted drug delivery.
The research, published in the prestigious journal ACS Applied Bio Materials, focuses on the natural peptide sequence DGEA (Asp-Gly-Glu-Ala) derived from collagen. By redesigning this sequence using advanced molecular dynamics simulations, the researchers engineered self-assembling peptides that exhibit distinct behaviors in acidic and basic environments—mimicking how tissues respond to injury or disease.
“This is the first report demonstrating pH-responsive behavior in a DGEA-based peptide system,” said lead researcher Dr. Alok Jain. “It opens up new avenues for designing adaptive biomaterials in medical applications.”
The project received significant contributions from BIT Mesra students and researchers, with funding support from the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Government of India.
These intelligent peptide materials could be developed into injectable gels, smart wound dressings, or bioactive implants, making them especially valuable in resource-limited healthcare settings.
This pioneering innovation further strengthens BIT Mesra’s position in cutting-edge biotechnology research, with computational biology and peptide engineering emerging as powerful tools for addressing complex medical challenges.
