Unlocking Peptides’ Therapeutic Potential through Proper Management of Bioanalysis
The Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development reports that since 2000 the number of therapeutic peptides in clinical trials has nearly doubled due largely to advances in synthesis, delivery, and formulation techniques. The study notes that 48 therapeutic peptides are now on the market worldwide.
The Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development reports that since 2000 the number of therapeutic peptides in clinical trials has nearly doubled due largely to advances in synthesis, delivery, and formulation techniques. The study notes that 48 therapeutic peptides are now on the market worldwide. Four of them have generated global sales of more than $500 million each in 2007. Currently, approximately 400 therapeutic peptides are moving through the clinical trial process.
Development of bioanalytical methods for therapeutic and biomarker peptides is often complicated by their propensity for aggregation, poor solubility, nonspecific binding, and potential instability. These challenges are exemplified in the study of amyloid beta peptides in cerebrospinal fluid as biomarkers in Alzheimer disease (AD) research. To support this challenging work, fast and flexible platforms for peptide quantification are needed that can deliver highly sensitive, reproducible, and accurate results. The use of a single, high-throughput assay for multiple amyloid beta peptides without time-consuming immunoprecipitation steps has been developed and validated, providing researchers with a critical tool to address AD.