Photo-induced radical thiol–ene chemistry: a versatile toolbox for peptide-based drug design

Abstract

While the global market for peptide/protein-based therapeutics is witnessing significant growth, the development of peptide drugs remains challenging due to their low oral bioavailability, poor membrane permeability, and reduced metabolic stability. However, a toolbox of chemical approaches has been explored for peptide modification to overcome these obstacles. In recent years, there has been a revival of interest in photoinduced radical thiol–ene chemistry as a powerful tool for the construction of therapeutic peptides.