Over the past decade, peptide drug development has witnessed significant progress due to advancements in novel production, modification, and analytical technologies. Peptides have been produced and modified using both chemical and biological methods, coupled with innovative design and delivery strategies. These approaches have helped overcome the inherent drawbacks of peptides, propelling continuous advancement in the field.
The advent of insulin marked the growing potential of peptide drugs in therapeutics. Thanks to advancements in synthesis technology and improved bioavailability, peptide drugs are overcoming the limitations of traditional small molecules and biologics. Currently, nearly 100 peptide drugs have been approved globally, with semaglutide representing a drug with significant sales. In terms of research and development, the dual-target drug tirzepatide has shown outstanding performance, and newcomers such as the multi-target drug retatrutide are emerging, indicating the broad prospects of peptide therapy.
Fig. 1 Significant milestones in the history of peptide drug development. (Xiao W, et al., 2025)
Diabetes Mellitus
Peptide drugs, such as insulin and its analogs, are the cornerstone of diabetes treatment, effectively lowering blood glucose levels. Polypeptide drugs like GLP-1 receptor agonists control blood glucose through multiple mechanisms and offer cardiovascular benefits.
Cardiovascular Disease
Peptide drugs such as ACE inhibitors and ARBs lower blood pressure and reduce cardiac workload. Natriuretic peptides are used to treat heart failure. Novel peptide drugs show potential in antithrombotic effects and improving vascular function.
Gastrointestinal Disease
Somatostatin analogs are used to treat certain gastrointestinal tumors and secretory diarrhea. Motilin analogs promote gastrointestinal motility. Anti-inflammatory peptides are being studied in inflammatory bowel disease.
Alzheimer's Disease
The development of peptide drugs targeting β-amyloid and tau proteins remains a key focus, with the goal of clearing pathological proteins and slowing disease progression. Neuroprotective peptides are also under exploration.
Infection
Antimicrobial peptides are gaining significant attention due to their broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and unique mechanisms, offering the potential to overcome drug resistance. Antiviral peptides are also under development, providing new therapeutic strategies.
Cancer
Peptide drugs can serve as targeted carriers for the precise delivery of anticancer drugs. Some peptides themselves possess antitumor activity, such as inducing apoptosis and inhibiting angiogenesis. Peptide vaccines stimulate antitumor immunity.
CD ComputaBio's in silico peptide design platform can provide solutions for peptide drug development. Leveraging its advanced computational methods, this platform can assist in the design and optimization of peptides to overcome their inherent limitations, such as stability, targeting, and bioavailability, thereby accelerating the development of novel peptide therapeutics.
Peptide Target Identification - Leveraging artificial intelligence and computational modeling technologies to identify key targets associated with specific diseases, laying the groundwork for subsequent peptide drug design.
Peptide Virtual Screening - Through computer simulations, large-scale evaluation of virtual peptide libraries for their binding affinity to targets, rapidly screening for lead peptide molecules with potential activity.
Peptide Design - Designing peptide sequences with specific bioactivity and selectivity based on information such as target interactions, aiming to enhance drug efficacy and safety.
Peptide Optimization - Optimizing the structure and properties of initially designed peptides by employing computational methods to predict and improve key sites, thereby increasing peptide stability, targeting ability, and bioavailability.
Peptide Characterization - Employing computational simulation methods to characterize the optimized peptides, assessing crucial parameters such as solubility, toxicity, and immunogenicity, providing a basis for subsequent experimental validation.
If you are interested in our services or wish to learn more, please contact us at your convenience. CD ComputaBio looks forward to collaborating with you to advance the applications of peptide drug development and bring more treatment options to patients.
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CD ComputaBio offers computation-driven peptide design services to research institutions, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology companies.
