Front Cover: Cyclic Octapeptides Composed of Two Glutathione Units Outperform the Monomer in Lead Detoxification (ChemMedChem 15/2022)

Abstract

The Front Cover shows the process of candidate optimization within a family of cyclic octapeptides designed to tightly and selectively bind toxic lead ions. Similar to playing tic tac toe, three parameters must align to achieve the desired outcome and identify the winner peptide. While several members weakly bound lead and others prioritized essential metal ions, only three peptides succeeded in recovering lead‐poisoned human cells due to their high lead affinity and selectivity, emphasizing the potential of the rationally designed scaffold. Cover design by Dr. Michel Rickhaus. More information can be found in the Research Article by Michal S. Shoshan et al.