Pioneers and Innovators of Peptide Science and Research
The scientists who built peptide science: Bruce Merrifield's synthesis revolution, the Guillemin–Schally hormone race, and Richard DiMarchi's modern peptide drugs.
How peptide science developed and how peptides compare with proteins, biologics, bioregulators and small molecules. This category covers the history, platforms and scientists behind the field, providing context for current development news.
10 articles by Brian Gossett. Read our editorial standards.
The scientists who built peptide science: Bruce Merrifield's synthesis revolution, the Guillemin–Schally hormone race, and Richard DiMarchi's modern peptide drugs.
A chronological history of peptide research: from the discovery of insulin in 1921 through solid-phase synthesis, radioimmunoassay, recombinant DNA, and the GLP-1 era.
A profile-driven roster of the scientists who shaped peptide research: Sanger, du Vigneaud, Merrifield, Yalow, Guillemin, Schally, Mutt, Drucker, Habener, Knudsen, and DiMarchi.
A clear, long-form explainer of how peptides, proteins, bioregulators, biologics, and small molecules actually differ — by size, structure, mechanism, manufacturing, and how each is regulated and dosed.
What are peptides? A comprehensive, science-based guide covering peptide structure, how they differ from proteins, endogenous peptides, research categories, delivery methods, and key benefits covered in the scientific literature.
Complete guide to bioregulator peptides: Khavinson's di/tri/tetrapeptides that regulate gene expression. How they differ from other peptides, organ specificity, and key bioregulators by body system.
Bioregulator peptide timeline: early sleep and inflammation effects (days), immune and gene expression changes (weeks), and Khavinson's long-term mortality and cancer data (6+ months of annual cycles).
Bioregulators vs traditional research peptides: size (2-4 vs 7-50+ amino acids), mechanism (gene expression vs receptor binding), oral bioavailability, effect timeline, and when to use each.
Vladimir Khavinson's 40+ year bioregulator research programme: the St. Petersburg veterans cohort, mortality reduction data, organ-specific gene regulation mechanism, and why his work is less known in the West.
How short peptides regulate gene expression: chromatin/histone mechanism, epigenetic vs genetic effects, what 'slowing biological ageing' actually means, and honest evidence assessment for bioregulator claims.