All articles
21 guides to peptide science, organised from first principles to current research. Every article lists its sources.
Foundations
The basics of what peptides are, where they come from and how they act.
What are peptides?
Amino acids, peptide bonds and where peptides sit between small molecules and proteins.
A brief history of peptide science
From the first synthetic dipeptide to recombinant insulin and the Nobel Prizes along the way.
Peptide structure: from sequence to shape
Helices, sheets, disulfide bonds and how structure is measured.
Peptides in nature: the body's messengers
Hormones, neuropeptides, venoms and microbial peptides.
How peptide receptors work
GPCRs, G proteins, desensitisation and biased agonism.
Chemistry & analysis
How peptides are made, tested and kept stable.
How peptides are made
Solid-phase synthesis, purification and freeze-drying, step by step.
Why some peptides are hard to make
Aggregation, aspartimides, protecting groups and native chemical ligation.
D-amino acids and peptidomimetics
Mirror-image residues, N-methylation, peptoids and stapling.
How peptide purity is tested
HPLC, mass spectrometry, and how to read a certificate of analysis.
How to read an HPLC chromatogram
Peaks, integration, and what can distort a purity figure.
Mass spectrometry explained
Charge states, isotopes, adducts and sequencing by MS/MS.
How labs validate analytical methods
ICH Q2, system suitability and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation.
Peptide stability: how and why peptides degrade
Oxidation, deamidation, aggregation and good laboratory storage.
Research & development
Where peptide science is heading and how discoveries become medicines.
Where peptide research is heading
Multi-receptor agonists, oral delivery, macrocycles and AI design.
From lab to licence
How peptide medicines move from discovery through clinical trials to approval.
Display technologies
Phage and mRNA display: screening billions of peptides at once.
Antimicrobial peptides
An ancient defence system studied against modern superbugs.
Cyclic peptides in nature
Cyclosporin, gramicidin S, cyclotides, and why rings matter.
Reading the science
Tools for judging claims and understanding labels.
How to evaluate peptide research claims
Study types, the evidence hierarchy and red flags.
How clinical trials are designed
Randomisation, blinding, endpoints and sample size.
What "research use only" actually means
Research compounds versus licensed medicines under UK law.