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Current Trends On Peptide Drug Discovery

By Daniel West


Although most preclinical pharmacology professional and biotechnologist may decline to concur, peptide drugs offer evident commercial success. In 2010 alone, in excess of fifty peptide drugs that generated annual sales of over $1 billion each were marketed. Their ability to deal with cancers, tumors, and metabolic diseases is likely to make these drugs a successful commercial venture. Currently, scientists are trying to find out if these drugs have ability to function as contraceptives, antimicrobials, and vaccines. After peptide drug discovery, scientists are busy in the labs trying to optimize it and lower its degradability.

There are host of sources of peptides; they are readily available in multicellular and unicellular organisms. Additionally, they can be acquired from chemical libraries and recombinant. They provide a greater chemical diversity than other classes of biological molecules. Due to their easy degradation, peptides are administered through injections. Since they occur naturally, peptides are safer than artificial medication. They have a higher selectivity, efficacy, and specificity. Their bioactivities are important for drug discovery and include amino acids and coordination of major physiological processes. Therefore, they can neutralize complications at a faster rate than synthetic medications.

After peptides undergo the degradation process, they produce proteinogenic amino acids. Unlike artificial medications that produce toxic metabolites, these drugs are safe. The toxic metabolites cause series side effects and can sometimes cause other complications such as ulcers. The safety nature of peptides might have facilitated its popularity that is being witnessed. Its short half-life property has some health advantages since the human body does not have to deal with metabolites for a long time.

Peptides can easily penetrate deeper tissues and neutralize complications, an activity almost impossible for large-sized protein. They tend to have a budget-friendly manufacturing cost especially when they are produced in bulk. These drugs function effectively when they are stored at room temperatures. Since peptides are mostly derived from proteins and other polypeptides, they can interact with almost all membrane proteins. Small quantity of peptides can be used to either activate or deactivate target receptors. Peptide antagonists that have ability to stimulate ligand-receptor reactions are very few.

The number of peptide medications that are being deployed to the health care market is increasing tremendously. These drugs are peptide derivatives and hormones, which fuel hormone action. The number of these medications being introduced to the market has been on an upward trend since 2010. At times, these medications are placed in the market and then withdrawn after a short period.

Most peptides are undergoing clinical trials. Drugs that are undergoing clinical trials target oncology and highly infectious diseases. The method of administering these medications is intravenously and subcutaneously. Some of these trials have proved to be successful and within a few years, peptides might become mainstream drugs.

Their short half-life and lack of a definite method of administering peptides has prevented mass production and commercialization of these drugs. Researchers are striving to alter the chemical composition of the drug to lower their degradability. The close association between scientists and major stakeholder in the health care industry may lead to discovery of a lasting solution.

Scientists have resulted to peptide optimization as an approach of making this drug stable. An encapsulated form of this medication was introduced into the digestive system of animals and was found to work. Degradability is significantly lowered by encapsulating the drug with mesoporous silica particles.




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Current Trends On Peptide Drug Discovery

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