Fundamentals · 1 min read
How peptides are made: solid-phase synthesis
Most research peptides are produced by solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), a method introduced by Bruce Merrifield in the 1960s.
In SPPS, the peptide is built one amino acid at a time on a tiny insoluble resin bead. Each amino acid is added, its protecting group is removed, and the next is coupled — repeating until the full sequence is assembled.
The finished peptide is then cleaved from the resin and purified, most commonly by reversed-phase HPLC, before it is characterized for identity and purity.
Understanding how a peptide is assembled helps explain why purity figures and analytical data matter when sourcing material for research.
This article is educational reference only. All products are sold strictly for laboratory research and are not for human or veterinary use. Nothing here is medical, veterinary, or scientific advice.