This first global multi-continent review celebrates 100 years since insulin therapy by examining short peptide frontiers including drug design, nanotechnology, aptamers, vaccines, and smart biomaterials.
100 yearssince insulin therapy launched the peptide therapeutics era, now encompassing diverse medical applications
What the researchers found
Short peptides have evolved from simple hormone replacements to versatile therapeutic platforms including cell-penetrating agents, vaccines, drug delivery systems, aptamers, and smart biomaterials, with continued advances in synthesis and computational design.
Why it matters
This landmark review provides the most comprehensive overview of where peptide therapeutics stand after a century of development and where the field is heading, making it essential reading for anyone in peptide science.
The numbers in context
Growing peptide clinical pipeline; applications in therapeutics, diagnostics, delivery, and biomaterials.
How the study worked
Comprehensive multi-author global review covering current state-of-the-art in short peptide therapeutics, synthesis, delivery, and applications across multiple disease areas.
Who was studied
Global peptide research landscape across therapeutic, diagnostic, and delivery applications
What this study cannot tell us
Broad scope necessarily limits depth on individual topics. Rapid advances since publication may have already shifted some frontiers. Some sections may reflect regional biases despite global authorship.
How to read the evidence
Comprehensive review by global multi-disciplinary team. Covers established and emerging fields with extensive references.
When this study was published
Published in 2021. Provides historical context and contemporary analysis marking the centennial of peptide therapeutics.
The bigger picture
Peptide therapeutics have come from a single application (insulin) to a vast ecosystem of drugs, diagnostics, and biomaterials. This centennial review captures both the breadth of current applications and the frontier areas that will define the next century of peptide medicine.
Questions still open
- Which short peptide applications will have the greatest clinical impact in the next decade?
- Can computational methods overcome the remaining pharmacokinetic limitations of peptide drugs?
- How will AI and machine learning transform peptide drug design?
Common questions
Why are peptides important in medicine?
What's new in peptide therapeutics after 100 years?
Read the original research
A Global Review on Short Peptides: Frontiers and Perspectives.
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 26(2)
Citation
Apostolopoulos, Vasso; Bojarska, Joanna; Chai, Tsun-Thai; Elnagdy, Sherif; Kaczmarek, Krzysztof; Matsoukas, John; New, Roger; Parang, Keykavous; Lopez, Octavio Paredes; Parhiz, Hamideh; Perera, Conrad O; Pickholz, Monica; Remko, Milan; Saviano, Michele; Skwarczynski, Mariusz; Tang, Yefeng; Wolf, Wojciech M; Yoshiya, Taku; Zabrocki, Janusz; Zielenkiewicz, Piotr; AlKhazindar, Maha; Barriga, Vanessa; Kelaidonis, Konstantinos; Sarasia, Elham Mousavinezhad; Toth, Istvan. (2021). A Global Review on Short Peptides: Frontiers and Perspectives.. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 26(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26020430