Recent progress on cyclotides: 2021-2024

Cyclotides are ultra-stable macrocyclic peptides.This article is part of a special issue celebrating the 50th Anniversary of ScienceAsia.It reviews progress in the cyclotide field of research in the period 2021 to 2024.More than 100 papers on cyclotides were published in this period along with multiple patents, book chapters and conference presentations.Here we discuss the findings from 84 original research papers on the discovery of native cyclotides and their biological activities, as well as describing a range of experimental and computational techniques that have been reported over the last four years to advance cyclotide research.The aim is to provide a useful resource for researchers to be updated on the discovery of native cyclotides and to explore the chemistry, biology and applications of engineered cyclotides over recent years.