Trends in peptide drug discovery

Comprehensive overview of the development of peptide-based drugs, from discovery and design strategies to the challenges of stability and delivery.

Key points

• Peptides occupy a niche between small molecules and biologics: high specificity with comparatively simple manufacture.
• The authors describe strategies to address typical weaknesses such as low stability in the body and short half-life, for example cyclisation or unnatural amino acids.
• The paper systematically classifies approved peptide drugs and the development pipeline.

Assessment

One of the most cited reviews in the field and a good entry point into the state of peptide research. The paper covers approved medicines and development candidates; its statements cannot be transferred to research chemicals.