PepScaf: Harnessing Machine Learning with In Vitro Selection toward De Novo Macrocyclic Peptides against IL-17C/IL-17RE Interaction

The combination of library-based screening and artificial intelligence (AI) has been accelerating the discovery and optimization of hit ligands. However, the potential of AI to assist in de novo macrocyclic peptide ligand discovery has yet to be fully explored. In this study, an integrated AI framework called PepScaf was developed to extract the critical scaffold relative to bioactivity based on a vast dataset from an initial in vitro selection campaign against a model protein target, interleukin-17C (IL-17C). Taking the generated scaffold, a focused macrocyclic peptide library was rationally constructed to target IL-17C, yielding over 20 potent peptides that effectively inhibited IL-17C/IL-17RE interaction. Notably, the top two peptides displayed exceptional potency with IC₅₀ values of 1.4 nM. This approach presents a viable methodology for more efficient macrocyclic peptide discovery, offering potential time and cost savings. Additionally, this is also the first report regarding the discovery of macrocyclic peptides against IL-17C/IL-17RE interaction.