The science of peptides began around 1901 with Emil Fischer, who made the first artificial dipeptide and introduced the word ‘peptide’. Through insulin (1922), oxytocin (1953) and Bruce Merrifield's solid-phase synthesis (1963), peptides grew into one of the most important fields of modern medicine.
Peptides are as old as life itself
Peptides were not invented, they were discovered. Every living thing, from bacteria to humans, makes them. What does have a history is our understanding of them: who discovered them, who learned to make them and how they became medicines.
The key milestones
| Year | Who | What |
|---|---|---|
| 1901–1902 | Emil Fischer (Germany) | Makes the first artificial dipeptide and introduces the word 'peptide', from the Greek word for 'digested'. |
| 1921–1922 | Frederick Banting and Charles Best (Canada) | Isolate insulin; in 1922 the first diabetes patient receives an injection. |
| 1953 | Vincent du Vigneaud (US) | The first to recreate a peptide hormone in the lab: oxytocin. Nobel Prize in 1955. |
| 1955–1958 | Frederick Sanger (UK) | Determines the complete amino acid sequence of insulin. Nobel Prize in 1958. |
| 1963 | Bruce Merrifield (US) | Devises solid-phase peptide synthesis, making it possible to produce peptides quickly and on a large scale. Nobel Prize in 1984. |
| 1990–present | Pharmaceutical industry | Hundreds of peptides are being researched as medicines; GLP-1 drugs for diabetes and obesity become world-famous. |
From the laboratory to everyday life
Merrifield's breakthrough was the turning point. Where a peptide used to take months of manual work, it could now be made in days. This brought peptides within reach of drug developers, cosmetics brands and food manufacturers.
Many of the peptides now circulating on social media, such as BPC-157, are much more recent. They come from animal research of recent decades and have never been approved as medicines.
In short
The science of peptides began around 1900 in Germany and, through insulin and oxytocin, grew into one of the most important fields of modern medicine. At least four Nobel Prizes (Banting 1923, du Vigneaud, Sanger and Merrifield) mark the way.
Frequently asked questions
Who discovered peptides?
Around 1901, Emil Fischer made the first artificial dipeptide and introduced the word ‘peptide’, from the Greek word for ‘digested’.
Why was Bruce Merrifield so important?
His solid-phase peptide synthesis from 1963 made it possible to produce peptides quickly and on a large scale. He received the Nobel Prize for it in 1984.
