Dr Nitsche's research into peptide-bismuth bicycles has been covered by Chemical and Engineering News.

The use of bicyclic peptides in drug discovery has led to multimillion-dollar deals in recent years. Dr Christoph Nitsche and his group have invented new ways to bend linear peptides into a smaller bicyclic form by using bismuth ions to tether the thiol groups along a peptide's backbone. Peptide-bismuth bicycles are a fundamentally new class of constrained peptides with superior stability and bioactivity. The method may simplify the screening process of bicyclic peptides' interactions with proteins, and due to the low toxicity of bismuth, may prove to be useful therapeutic agents.

For the article and a link to the paper, click here.