Antimicrobial Peptides: Function, Mechanisms of Action and Role in Health and Disease (eBook)

The increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, known as superbugs, has threatened the field of infectious disease medicine over most of the past century. Antimicrobial peptides, a crucial part of innate immunity that exists in most living organisms, have become a central pillar for the next generation of medical challenges for infectious diseases, cancer, and other health problems. The development of new antimicrobial peptides to tackle ongoing superbug infections, cancer and other diseases is a fast-growing research area for chemistry, medical physics, biological science, food and agricultural science and different disciplines of medicine. This volume discusses the basic science behind potential pharmacological agents, which is necessary to understand how these peptides can be used in our daily lives. The book provides a foundation for a wide variety of antimicrobial peptide-based therapeutic approaches, which is invaluable for established scientists, junior researchers, and students involved in basic science, material science, the medical field and different disciplines of engineering. It contains nine chapters written by world leaders in this area, covering basic science and possible therapeutic applications with immense societal implications. Antimicrobial peptides are an exciting new therapeutic agent with promising applications for a wide variety of illnesses.