Microbiology, Dstl Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 0JQ, UK As antibiotic resistance increases worldwide, there is an increasing pressure to develop novel classes of antimicrobial compounds to fight infectious disease. Peptide therapeutics represent a novel class of therapeutic agents. Some, such as cationic antimicrobial peptides and peptidoglycan recognition proteins, have been identified from studies of innate immune effector mechanisms, while others are completely novel compounds generated in biological systems. Currently, only selected cationic antimicrobial peptides have been licensed, and only for topical applications. However, research using new approaches to identify novel antimicrobial peptide therapeutics, and new approaches to delivery and improving stability, will result in an increased range of peptide therapeutics available in the clinic for broader applications.

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