A peptide is a molecule featuring at least two amino acids bonded together to form an amino acid short chain. Its distinguishing characteristic is the presence of amide bonds or the chemical bonds that form during a condensation reaction, linking two amino acids. Peptides occur in organism cells and serve multiple functions to achieve and maintain homeostasis, or a state of balance necessary for health.

Although peptide synthesis is a natural process, biotech advances facilitate synthetic peptide production on an industrial scale. Consequently, commercial peptide synthesis companies generate synthetic peptides for various applications, including the ones below.

What Is Peptide Synthesis?

As stated earlier, peptide synthesis is a natural process in the cell's ribosomes. However, the natural peptides in the body are inadequate to facilitate peptide research and applications outside the body.

However, chemical processes make it possible to synthesize peptides outside a living cell. The chemical processes yield synthetic peptides that mimic the structure and function of natural peptides produced in the cell.

Therefore, peptide synthesis services exist to fulfill the need for high-quality synthetic peptides. Commercial peptide synthesis companies use high throughput screening processes to generate a high volume of high-quality synthetic peptides consistently. Such companies also offer custom peptide synthesis services for de novo gene products, including custom antibody production, custom gene synthesis, and custom protein synthesis.

The primary method commercial peptide synthesis companies use to render the peptide synthesis service is solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). SPPS entails attaching an amino acid to polymeric support, facilitating the rapid generation of a peptide chain.

SPPS facilitates rapid peptide synthesis, even for complex peptide chains, allowing peptide synthesis services to fulfill large peptide orders from various industries and research institutions. Below are the top industries relying on peptide synthesis services for various peptide products.

1. Preventive Medicine (Antibody Production)

Preventive medicine refers to medical practices or efforts to prevent disease, disability, or death. Such practices either inhibit a disease attack or slow down disease progression.

The most prominent form of preventive medicine is vaccine design and production; vaccines have helped eradicate infectious diseases like smallpox. Antibody production services and antibody sequencing services are two crucial elements of preventive medicine. Consequently, commercial peptide synthesis companies provide services to research facilities and the vaccine industry.

Initially, antibody production entailed injecting a host animal with a deactivated target antigen, triggering its immune system to produce complementary antibodies. A serum collection process to retrieve the generated antibodies retrieved from the host followed the immunization process.

However, in vivo antibody production services paused multiple challenges, including the risk of antigen toxicity to researchers and immunogenicity. Immunogenicity, or the body’s response to an antigen, may result in an unwanted immune response in the host animal.

Fortunately, in vitro antibody production services facilitated by peptide synthesis are currently possible, eliminating the need for animal hosts. Moreover, peptide synthesis service providers and antibody sequencing services now generate synthetic antibody libraries or a database of human-like synthetic antibodies. The antibody libraries generated by antibody sequencing services also facilitate custom gene synthesis and custom antibody production.

Animal-free antibody production has multiple over traditional antibody production services and antibody sequencing services. One literature review summarizes these advantages as a higher affinity and specificity than animal-based antibodies. The review also cites a faster generation time and reduced immunogenicity among the advantages of synthetic antibody production services.

Peptide synthesis services serving the preventive medicine industry also offer custom antibody production services. Custom antibody production entails the generation of tailored antibodies that may not exist naturally to meet desired specifications.

Such antibodies are primarily used in antibody research projects and encompass custom gene synthesis, protein expression services, and bespoke purification methods. One of the major significant strides in preventive medicine achieved through custom antibody production is the development of bispecific antibodies, or antibodies targeting two distinct antigens.

Peptide antibodies are also the result of peptide research and have revolutionized preventive medicine, with some peptide vaccines used to target cancerous tumors. Besides peptide vaccines, protein vaccines made via custom gene synthesis and protein production services are emerging as a more sustainable antigen source.

2. Protein Production Services

Proteins are cell-based molecules that direct multiple body functions necessary to sustain life. Consequently, recombinant protein production or protein production services facilitate high throughput protein synthesis for research and industrial-scale applications.

So, what is the connection between protein production services and peptide synthesis? Peptides and proteins feature amino acids as their basic building blocks; the former is a short amino acid chain, while the latter is a long amino acid chain. Moreover, a polypeptide chain sequence connected via amide bonds forms a protein molecule.

Second, DNA directs the amino acid sequence in peptides and polypeptide chains or proteins. Therefore, a company offering the peptide synthesis service also likely offers custom gene synthesis and the custom protein production service as an end-to-end service strategy.

Gene synthesis is the process of generating and assembling gene products like DNA and proteins. Commercial peptide synthesis companies typically offer gene synthesis services to direct the amino acid sequencing in peptides. Amino acid sequencing is vital because it gives peptides and proteins their innate characteristics, dictating their functionality.

Traditionally, gene replication services took place in vivo, and expression systems were necessary. However, biotechnology advances allow gene synthesis companies offering peptide synthesis services like custom peptide synthesis to assemble DNA products without a DNA template.

Second, DNA synthesis companies do not limit the nucleotide size or base pairs in custom DNA synthesis. Third, the peptide synthesis service utilizes high throughput techniques for fast production of high-quality polypeptide chains unattainable via the traditional protein expression service.

Custom DNA synthesis facilitated by custom gene synthesis services allows protein production service providers to offer custom protein production and custom protein synthesis services. The custom protein production and custom protein synthesis services facilitate the generation of novel proteins that do not occur naturally for peptide and protein research. Gene synthesis companies have gene libraries for custom gene synthesis base pairs, facilitating custom DNA synthesis for custom protein production.

Besides the primary custom protein production, protein expression and purification services can offer a custom protein purification service at varying fees. The custom protein purification service means high-quality peptides and proteins are available at different purification levels.

3. Peptide Therapeutics

Peptide therapeutics is an emerging medical field that uses peptides and polypeptides, or proteins, to either treat an illness or manage its symptoms. Insulin and ghrelin (hunger hormone) are some peptide therapeutic agents used to control blood sugar levels and stimulate appetite, respectively.

DNA synthesis companies and gene synthesis companies are at the forefront of peptide therapeutics, facilitating custom peptide synthesis and custom protein production. High throughput custom peptide synthesis and custom protein expression services enable research in the following peptide therapeutics areas.

Drug Discovery

Drug discovery or the biopharmaceutical application of peptides leverages a peptide’s cellular functions to treat disease. Besides the natural hormones in the body, DNA synthesis companies and gene synthesis companies facilitate peptide drug discovery via custom DNA synthesis.

Custom DNA synthesis entails generating DNA strains with unique or modified base pairs, giving peptides and polypeptides unique properties. Peptide-based drugs produced from custom protein synthesis include pre-exposure prophylaxis medications for HIV infection prevention.

According to one report, the FDA had approved over 60 peptide drugs by 2018, while approximately 100 peptide drugs are at different drug development stages and clinical trial levels awaiting approval. Such drugs include peptide-based cancer medications made by DNA synthesis companies via custom protein synthesis.

Targeted Drug Delivery

Targeted drug delivery is a drug administration strategy that increases a drug’s concentration in a targeted area, like a cell or tissue, compared to the rest of the body. The roles that peptides and polypeptides play in the cell make them viable vessels for targeted drug delivery. Therefore, peptide production companies offering gene synthesis services for custom protein expression supply high-quality peptides and proteins for targeted drug delivery.

Regenerative Medicine

Regenerative medicine is a branch of medicine that helps regrow, repair, or replace damaged tissue, cells, or organs to restore the target site’s normal function. Although regenerative medicine primarily employs stem cells, one report shows that combining stem cells with novel peptides accelerates regeneration.

A protein production service offering gene synthesis services can generate the gene sequences for novel peptides. Alternatively, regenerative medicine experts can explore the gene libraries in gene synthesis companies for viable novel gene sequences.

4. Medical Imaging

Medical imaging is a medical field encompassing tools like x-rays and enzyme-linked immunoassays (ELISA kits) to view the body’s musculoskeletal structure, internal tissues, and organs. It also includes molecular imaging that facilitates the remote visualization, characterization, and quantification of targeted molecules and cellular processes.

Radiolabelling is the most common medical imaging technique or isotopic labeling. It entails joining a molecule to a radioactive substance so that the molecule becomes remotely visible as it travels between cells, tissues, and organs. Medical experts and researchers use medical imaging to observe functions like drug metabolism and disease pathogenesis pending diagnosis.

Proteins and peptides are the most popular radiolabeled molecules used in isotopic labeling. The two molecules are ideal for radiolabelling due to their high binding affinity and specificity to target cells. Moreover, a protein production service with protein expression and purification services can modify the peptides and proteins during custom protein expression to increase the radiolabeled protein’s specificity and affinity.

Besides remote imaging, ELISA kit manufacturers use radiolabeled peptides and proteins in assay tests to determine the antigen concentration in biological samples. Second, the assay test kit manufacturers design different ELISA kit types optimized for specific assay functions. Also, protein expression and purification services companies can opt to create their isotopic labeling kit rather than using standardized kits from ELISA kit manufacturers.

5. Nutraceuticals

A protein expression service provider can partner with companies in the food industry to supply the latter with nutraceuticals. Nutraceuticals are food-derived products that offer medical benefits above their primary nutritional benefits. They include bioactive peptides like probiotics, prebiotics, polyunsaturated fats (e.g., omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and antioxidants.

The nutraceutical industry is a billion-dollar industry thanks to the growing interest in wellness across the general population. Moreover, 2021 global market statistics estimated the nutraceutical industry value as $ 454.55 billion.

According to one literature review, bioactive nutraceuticals occur when digestive enzymes break down protein precursors in a cell. Besides digestive enzymes, the enzymes present during food preparation processes like fermentation can also cause nutraceutical elements to also occur.

Protein expression service providers use high throughput techniques to generate high-quality, non-toxic bioactive nutraceuticals. Some protein expression service companies partner with ELISA kit manufacturers to test peptide function, ensuring zero toxicity.

6. Food Preservation

Protein expression and purification services are also essential in industrial-scale food preservation. As earlier stated, multiple types of peptides and polypeptides exist, each serving a specific function in the body.

One significant peptide type is the antimicrobial or host defense peptides. They are a crucial part of the immune system in humans and other organisms, helping prevent pathogenic attacks.

However, antimicrobial peptides also function as food preservatives in processed and frozen foods. According to one study, antimicrobial peptides have low toxicity and more robust adhesion properties than chemical food preservatives.

Therefore, they are a safer, natural alternative to chemical food preservatives. Recombinant peptide manufacturers can synthesize antimicrobial peptides using expression systems or synthetically via chemical processes.

7. Peptides In The Cosmetic Industry

The global cosmetic industry is another billion-dollar industry utilizing peptides in its products. According to one industry report, the global cosmetic industry’s net value stood at US$ 254.08 billion. Moreover, a report shows that the peptide cosmetic niche constitutes UD$1.8 million of the total cosmetic industry value.

Cosmetic peptides and peptide chains are organic molecules that prevent or manage skin dysfunctions, giving skin a natural, youthful glow. They include amino acid chains forming the bases for skin structural and skin elasticity proteins like collagen and elastin.

Bioactive peptides in skincare products have healing and rejuvenation properties that help slow premature skin aging and improve the skin’s moisture-locking capacity. Additionally, they protect the skin from UV damage and induce anti-inflammatory effects to accelerate healing. Popular skin products enriched with active peptides include serums and moisturizers.

Conclusion

Recombinant protein production is now an inextricable part of many industrial processes within and outside biotechnology. Moreover, the number of protein expression and purification services companies available is rising as they diversify their services to meet industry demands. Therefore, peptide synthesis is here to stay.