Objective
The rise of antimicrobial resistance and the limits of conventional therapeutics call for new molecular scaffolds with high stability, specificity, and tunable function. Cyclic peptides offer this potential, combining protein-like binding with small-molecule stability. Among them, lasso peptides stand out for their knotted topology, which confers exceptional resistance to proteolytic degradation and enables diverse biological activities. Produced by many organisms as natural defense molecules, they represent promising scaffolds for therapeutic discovery. Yet, despite their abundance and diversity, their potential remains largely untapped due to key challenges: limited incorporation of non-canonical amino acids, poor cell permeability, and the absence of strategies for generating chemically diverse libraries suitable for high-throughput screening.
LASSOVERSE will address these challenges by establishing a platform for engineering lasso peptides beyond their natural sequence space. The project focuses on three goals: (i) elucidating the enzymatic mechanism of lasso maturation to improve catalytic efficiency and folding kinetics; (ii) expanding sequence and structural diversity through incorporation of non-natural residues and backbones, enabling library synthesis and epitope grafting; and (iii) enhancing cellular uptake by generating chemoenzymatically synthesized, cell-permeable antimicrobial candidates.
By integrating chemical synthesis, enzymatic maturation, and rational design, LASSOVERSE will uncover fundamental principles of lasso peptide biosynthesis and structure–function relationships, transforming these natural products into a versatile platform for next-generation antimicrobial and therapeutic development.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules
- natural sciences mathematics pure mathematics topology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy drug resistance antibiotic resistance
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2026-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
8006 Zurich
Switzerland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.