Obesity is a major risk factor for many diseases, including diabetes, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegeneration. Therapies that promote safe and effective weight loss are, therefore, a significant area of research, with GLP-1 peptide agonists receiving considerable attention. The Bloom lab is interested in developing alternative classes of peptides for weight loss, including those that activate amylin and amylin/calcitonin receptors. Efforts in the Bloom lab are also aimed at developing peptides that improve the metabolic function of adipose tissue, encouraging additional weight loss. Peptides that modulate adipose-to-brain crosstalk, promoting sustained weight loss and reducing the risk of obesity-induced and age-related neurocognitive impairments, such as dementia, are also a current focus of the Bloom lab.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) affects over 35 million people worldwide. HIV-1, the primary form of HIV, accounts for 95% of all HIV cases. Accordingly, an enormous effort to understand and treat HIV-1 has been made in recent years. Work by several laboratories have revealed that the nucleocapsid protein, NCp7, plays a pivotal role in binding to viral RNA and inducing the formation of the viral capsid. The recognition between NCp7 and viral RNA can be blocked by specific amino acid sequences to inhibit capsid formation. The Bloom lab is interested in utilizing novel photochemical methods to develop improved therapeutics that interrupt the nucleocapsid-RNA interaction and reduce the infectivity of the virus
