TAT-PHLPP9c

TAT-PHLPP9c is a cell-penetrating, 20-amino acid peptide designed to enhance neurological intact survival following cardiac arrest. It functions by inhibiting the interaction between the phosphatase PHLPP1 (Pleckstrin homology domain and Leucine-rich Repeat Protein Phosphatase 1) and its adaptor protein NHERF1 (Na+/H+ Exchanger Regulatory Factor 1). By disrupting this binding, TAT-PHLPP9c prevents PHLPP1 from dephosphorylating Akt at the Ser473 site, thereby increasing Akt activity in critical organs such as the heart and brain. Developed by researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago, the peptide has shown efficacy in murine and swine models of cardiac arrest and is being evaluated using Akt activation in blood leukocytes as a surrogate biomarker for drug activity.