During the last two decades, interest in research on peptides and small molecules has been on the decline and the pharma industry has been following a traditional approach in peptide research with less focus on innovation, according to Dr Horst Kessler, professor, Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technical University of Munich.

Talking to Pharmabiz he said that a majority of the companies are waiting for pharmaceutical majors to achieve a breakthrough in this segment before stepping in. Industry at large has been underestimating the potential of peptides.

Majority of the pharmaceutical companies which are carrying out research on peptides are interested in the areas of cancer and cardio-vascular drugs. The Technical University of Munich, Germany, is already working with women clinics for breast and ovarian cancer, as part of its initiatives in cancer research. The University has also tied up with leading Japanese institutions for peptides research.

Ease of synthesisation and high specificity are some of the common features associated with peptides. Peptides can be equivalent to small molecule drugs, but are often seen as an expensive exercise by the drugs industry. There is a growing emphasis on understanding the bio-availability in peptide research, Dr Kessler said.

There had been only few peptide based drugs available in the market. But, as the metabolism is better in the case of peptide drugs, regulatory authorities may still favour such drugs, particularly in the area of cancer. Research is also on, to see the potential of peptides in the areas of obesity, diabetes and psychological disorders. Small proteins which are also peptides have made significant impact in prostrate cancer, he added.

With developments in synthesis and chemistry techniques, progress has been made to make peptides more stable and application oriented. In future, peptides will serve not only as research tools but also as a preferred choice for therapeutics.

Dr Kessler's research interests include rational molecule design on the basis of conformation, the synthesis and structure of peptides and peptidomimetics and the development and application of NMR techniques and computing procedures for the regulation of molecular structures. He has been a recipient of Max Miner Medal for Peptide Chemistry and Vigneaud Prize of the American Peptide Society.