Hydrocarbon-stapled peptides are found effectively blocking the secretion of mucin proteins from airway cells and lessened mucus buildup in the lungs in a mice model, indicating that this could pave the way for a breakthrough treatment for COPD. The study, led by Dr Burton Dickey, a professor of Pulmonary Medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, created an inhaled aerosol – first drug that would stop the secretion of mucins in its tracks – that was tested in the mice. According to the researchers, with further refinement, the aerosol might be able to block excessive mucus production in people with lung disorders like COPD. The study findings, published in the journal Nature, concluded that CPP-conjugated stapled peptides can be efficiently delivered into cultured human epithelial cells and airway epithelial cells of mice, in which they markedly and specifically reduce stimulated mucin secretion.