Thursday, November 14, 2013

All About Peptide Therapy

By Armand Zeiders


Peptide therapy has many possible medical applications. Medical researchers believe that peptide therapy might eventually be used to treat a variety of autoimmune disorders as well as diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and even common problems such as allergies.

When amino acids are joined together in long chains, then a peptide bond is has been created. The peptides will then work to become proteins, which are highly important structures within our cells, carrying out or catalyzing nearly every job that must take place within our cells. There are many different types of proteins, and the type that is created depends upon the kind of amino acids in the peptides as well as the structure of the peptides themselves.

The process begins with amino acids, which are joined in what is called a peptide bond. These long peptides are flat or planar, but they also are flexible so they can fold, and this effects what type of protein will be formed. When there is a mutation in the way a peptide folds, it can have serious biological repercussions. For example, a peptide formation mutation causes red blood cells to form abnormally, and this can lead to a disease such as sickle cell anemia. There are many other diseases that are caused by mutations with the peptide framework.

This formation of peptides and proteins is a natural process occurring in all humans. However, the process also can be achieved in a lab artificially as peptide synthesis or the creation of synthetic peptides. These synthetic peptides can be copies of naturally occurring peptides or completely new types of peptides.

Peptide synthesis has many applications for scientists. These peptides can be studied do determine whether or not a particular protein has been isolated. Scientists also use peptide synthesis as a way to study the structure of proteins. In addition, the use of peptide synthesis to create medical treatments and vaccines is also a very important application. Researchers often rely on private biotech companies to produce custom synthetic peptides.

In recent years, there have been quite a few studies that showcase the positive effects of peptide therapy. In one promising study, the researchers created a new vaccine that significantly slowed the progression of Parkinson's disease in mice. Several other studies have demonstrated that peptides can be used to stop or decelerate the growth of tumors. There also have been studies that show peptide therapy might be a useful way to treat Multiple Sclerosis. Although further research is needed and ongoing, peptide therapy might end up being a cure or treatment for many serious conditions.




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