The therapeutic potential of peptides

Success in the development of peptide compounds and newly discovered therapeutic agents in animal poisons contribute to the rise of peptide drugs. Free Pics / Pixabay) - Currently there are more than 80 peptide drugs on the global market and about twice as many in clinical development. Due to their beneficial properties, these biomolecules play already an important role in the treatment of diseases such as diabetes, cancer, hormone disorders, HIV infection, and multiple sclerosis. In the recent issue of "Nature Reviews Drug Discovery", a team of Austrian and Australian scientists led by medicinal chemist Markus Muttenthaler of the University of Vienna present an outlook on the latest trends in peptide drug discovery and development. "Insulin is a prime example for a successful peptide drug that has been essential for the health of millions of diabetic patients in the past 100 years," says Markus Muttenthaler, who leads research groups at the Institute of Biological Chemistry of the Faculty of Chemistry at University in Vienna as well as at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. Worldwide, peptide therapeutics account for 5% of the global pharmaceutical market, with global sales exceeding US$ 50 billion. More than 150 peptides are in clinical development and another 400-600 peptides undergoing preclinical studies.