Following the production phase of our project, we had 10 StarCore constructs to test. We set out to characterize their antimicrobial properties and mechanism of action. We had many questions in the following categories.

We quantified StarCore activity by determining their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC). We also evaluated their impact on bacterial growth by treating bacterial cultures with varying concentrations of StarCores and monitoring the OD600 through time. Representative results are shown in Figure 1. As a control, we also determined the MIC of Ovispirin, a commonly used AMP with no star-shaped geometry.

StarCores displayed a range of MICs, generally similar to control values. The top performing StarCore was the Ferritin-Alyteserin fusion, with an activity almost 10 times higher than that of the control.