1922 is the year to remember, especially for those who are in the pharma sector. This is when insulin was first used. It was something that revolutionized the treatment of diabetes mellitus.
Similarly, the discovery of peptides have changed the drug development landscape to a great extent. Peptides are key parts of the biological pathways in the body, which are made up of small amino acid chains. On the times when it is considered a drug molecule, most of the time, they have a certain selectivity and potency. And that is in addition to the low toxicity.
These days, there are well over 80 peptide drugs available in the market. Thanks to the rise in the popularity of peptides, you can even buy peptides for research purposes now. In this blog, we will take a close look at peptides in drug development.
Peptide-Based Drugs As An Alternate Therapy
In recent years, the happenings of many drug-resistant diseases have led to a high demand for alternative therapies. Peptide-dependent drugs as alternate therapies have gained the researchers’ focus in different therapeutic fields such as dermatology, neurology, and oncology.
Prior to these, they had been often overlooked by pharma organizations because of specific limitations like shorter half-life and proteolytic degradation.
Over the last couple of decades, these sorts of limitations have been countered by the introduction of different modification strategies, such as side chain and backbone modifications. This is something that enhances the functionality. It is something that has led to a certain interest of researchers and pharmaceutical companies. There are different computational and chemical approaches which are assisting the production of further long-lasting and stable peptides. It is something that guides the formulation of advanced and novel therapeutic agents.
The Status Quo Change Of Peptide Therapeutics
The development of peptides, which is progressive from reaction vessels to life-saving drugs within clinical and preclinical assessments, which are rigorous, is fascinating. The peptide therapeutics have garnered momentum with the enhancement of techniques in peptide chemistry, such as litigation chemistry, microwave irradiation, and metal catalysis.
Different technologies that are emerging, such as display techniques and DELs, are altering the status quo in the findings of peptide therapeutics.
The Benefit Of Peptide Drugs
The breakthroughs in the technology of synthesizing peptides in the current world have made it possible to produce the peptide synthesize drugs with high yield and purity.
These days, in the world of pharma, there are basically two extremes of medication classes. The first is the conventional ‘small circle’ drugs. These are generally orally bioavailable. They also are less expensive for production. However, there is less target selectivity.
Peptide drugs generally work as a middle-ground among two extremes, combining the benefits of both biologics and small molecule drugs. For instance, most of the time, the peptides show high flexibility and may target specific enzymes or receptors. It is something that makes it effective and less likely to possess any kind of side effects.
Wrapping Up
As you can see, peptides are making huge advancements in the pharma world. And it is something that is here to stay. If you are a fellow researcher who is looking for access to peptides to carry out your study, check out Lotilabs.
