What are Peptides

What Are Synthetic Peptides

Protein peptides and Peptide therapeutics are responsible for a new advances in biotechnology. Peptides are highly effective amino acid molecules developed for targeted specificity as well as potency. Power peptides biodegrade into non-toxic or low toxicity metabolites, with minimal potential for drug interactions and low immunogenicity compared to large proteins. Lab peptides are manufactured with expensive and complicated scientific processes.

Major biotechnology advances contributed to the quality of peptide research:

• Advances in genetic engineering, recombinant technologies, and solid-phase peptide synthesis overcoming the problems of manufacture cost as well as stability issues of peptide molecules
• Advancements of polymer technologies allowing controlled long-acting release formulations of peptides encapsulated in biodegradable polymers

Oral bioavailability of peptides is a large drawback in translating peptides to clinical therapy. Technologies that enable the delivery of biologicals across mucosal barriers such as the gastrointestinal tract, the nasal mucosa, and the blood-brain barrier offer potential for the development of effective and safe non-invasive biologicals.

Peptide Technologies

Peptide delivery challenges stem from a low physicochemical and proteolytic stability as well as poor permeation across biological barriers in the absence of a specific transport system, which is due to their hydrophilicity, charge, and high molecular weight (>500 Da). Further, following administration, the peptide molecules are subjected to extensive degradation in the blood, resulting in a brief plasma half-life. Peptides are also subjected to metabolism by liver enzymes and clearance from the kidneys.

Advents in injection devices enable self-administration by researchers using a small-diameter needle and syringe, such as in the case of insulin. Prefilled syringes, auto-injectors, syringe injectors, pen devices, and needleless injectors contain cartridges loaded with the peptide. Stay tuned for exciting new biotech peptide products of the future….