Antimicrobial resistance has become a growing concern due to the potential lethality of infections caused by resistant bacteria. To address this problem, Dr Li's research focuses on the use of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are part of the host's natural defense system and have potent antimicrobial activity with a reduced tendency to induce resistance. The goal is to develop novel alternative antibiotics by chemically modifying AMPs to enhance their effectiveness and result in significant conformational changes.

Several promising native AMPs, including Chex1-Arg20, pardaxin, and magainin, have been identified, but their stability and strong haemolytic activity make them challenging to translate and apply pharmacologically. Therefore, the research group aims to investigate the activity of these AMPs and chemically modify them to enhance their potency against pathogenic bacteria.