Agilent Research Catalyst Award Presented to UC Davis for Breakthroughs in Peptide Therapeutics

Agilent Technologies today announced that the University of California has received an Agilent Research Catalyst (ARC) award on behalf of Marie Heffern, an associate professor of chemistry at the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis. The award recognizes Heffern’s innovative research into the analytical characterization of peptide and protein therapeutics targeting incretin and related pathways, an emerging area critical to advancing treatments for diabetes and obesity.

Heffern's research focuses on understanding how trace metal ions, such as copper, iron and zinc, interact with incretin-based peptide therapeutics, including GLP-1 receptor agonists. These interactions play a critical role in drug stability, bioactivity and formulation, yet remain underexplored in current pharmaceutical development. 

“Metal interactions with peptides are known to occur, yet observations on their impact on peptide therapeutic development have been largely incidental.” said Heffern.  “We think these interactions may both hold important clues for variability in patient response and inform the design of more stable and effective formulations. We are very excited to have the support from the Agilent Research Catalyst grant that will enable us to develop analytical tools directed at interrogating these interactions and allow us to systematically address these questions in a deliberate and comprehensive way.”

The awarded research applies advanced analytical techniques, including liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC-ICP-MS), native mass spectrometry, and high-resolution peptide mapping, to uncover non-canonical metal-peptide binding under physiological and formulation-relevant conditions. Using Agilent instrumentation such as the Agilent 8900 ICP-QQQ, Agilent 6546 Q-TOF LC/MS, and Agilent Infinity II LC systems, Heffern’s lab aims to build a predictive framework for metal-peptide interactions that will inform drug design and formulation strategies. Her work is helping uncover critical formulation challenges in peptide therapeutics—an area where advanced analytical tools are essential. 

"Professor Heffern’s research exemplifies the kind of scientific innovation the ARC program is designed to support," states Iris Mangelschots, vice president and general manager of the Liquid Phase Division at Agilent. "Her work exploring metal-peptide interactions in therapeutic development is not only advancing analytical science—it’s helping shape the future of peptide-based medicines. We’re proud to provide the tools and support that will enable this important research."

The ARC Award includes research funding and Agilent instrumentation, enabling Professor Heffern’s team to advance peptide therapeutic development through improved formulation strategies, reduced degradation, and enhanced performance. These insights will empower pharmaceutical developers to refine formulation approaches, reduce development costs, and improve therapeutic reliability.

"By leveraging Agilent’s advanced analytical platforms, Professor Heffern’s team is uncovering new dimensions of peptide formulation science that could reshape how we approach drug stability and performance," adds Nahid Chalyavi, Associate Vice President for University Relations at Agilent. "Supporting this work through the ARC program reflects our commitment to enabling translational research that delivers real-world impact.

Through the ARC program, Agilent provides financial support, advanced instrumentation, and scientific expertise to accelerate innovation in life sciences, diagnostics, and chemical analysis.

This article, adapted from a press release from Agilent Technologies, was originally published by the College of Letters and Science.