{
  "id": 3581047,
  "title": "Ancient Peptides Resurrected from Lactoferrin’s Evolutionary Past Could Point to New Antibiotics",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/ancient-peptides-resurrected-from-lactoferrins-evolutionary-past",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-26T19:34:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "GEN Biotechnology",
    "slug": "gen-biotechnology",
    "url": "https://www.genengnews.com/topics/drug-discovery/ancient-peptides-resurrected-from-lactoferrins-evolutionary-past-could-point-to-new-antibiotics/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "University of Oregon scientists have reconstructed peptides dating back 160 million years from the lactoferrin protein, which carries natural antimicrobial properties. Lactoferrin is an immune protein found in various body fluids, including breast milk and mucus, and plays a crucial role in withstanding iron from pathogens. Within lactoferrin lies an antimicrobial peptide called lactoferricin that has the ability to disrupt bacterial membranes and alter membrane potential, making it potentially useful as a therapeutic tool. The researchers used ancestral sequence reconstruction, a technique pioneered by Joseph Thornton at the University of Oregon, to work backward through lactoferrin's evolutionary history and recreate its ancient ancestors. Early lactoferricin ancestors showed promise in testing against drug-resistant bacterial strains, demonstrating stronger antimicrobial activity than some modern counterparts. The scientists suggest that studying these ancient peptides could provide new starting points for designing treatments that supplement or replace ineffective antibiotics. However, the peptides are structurally less stable than conventional antibiotics and may require further development before becoming widely available in clinical settings.",
  "summary": "Scientists working their way back through millions of years of the evolutionary past of mammalian lactoferrin reconstructed extinct peptides, some of which in laboratory were more potent against drug-resistant bacteria than present-day counterparts. The post Ancient Peptides Resurrected from Lactoferrin’s Evolutionary Past Could Point to New Antibiotics appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}