Articles
Deep dives, mechanism breakdowns, and side-by-side comparisons — each one cited to the published research so you can check the work yourself.
FDA Sends Interim Peptide Compounding Policy to White House Review
HHS and FDA sent an 'Interim Access Policy for Compounding Using Certain Peptides' to OMB on Oct 14, 2026. What was filed, what's known, and what isn't yet.
AOD9604 (hGH Fragment 176-191): The Monash Research Timeline, Study by Study
A study-by-study history of AOD9604, the modified hGH 177-191 fragment from Monash University: what each experiment found, its limits, and FDA's current position. Research use only.
What Is a COA? Certificate of Analysis Meaning & How to Read One
COA meaning: a Certificate of Analysis is a batch-specific lab report of test results. See what a COA must list, how COA testing works, and how to read one step by step.
Melanotan II: How a 1989 Lab Design Spawned Two FDA Drugs, and Why It Never Became One
The research history of Melanotan II: its 1989 cyclic-lactam design, MC1R mechanism, its relatives afamelanotide and bremelanotide, and what FDA and case reports record. Research use only.
HPLC vs. Mass Spectrometry: Two Different Questions on a Peptide COA
HPLC separates and measures a peptide sample; mass spec confirms identity. What each can't see, the impurities they look for, and where TFA fits in.
Reconstituting Research Peptides: Solvent, Concentration and Where Material Gets Lost
A lab guide to reconstituting lyophilized peptides: what bacteriostatic water contains, the salt-form catch in concentration math, and adsorption losses.
Bacteriostatic vs. Sterile Water: What the Labels, USP 797 and the Benzyl Alcohol Research Say
Bacteriostatic water adds 0.9% or 1.1% benzyl alcohol and comes in multiple-dose vials; sterile water has no preservative and is single-dose. What the FDA-listed labels, CDC's USP 797 summary and protein studies say.
SS-31 (Elamipretide): The Four-Residue Peptide That Binds Cardiolipin
SS-31, also called elamipretide, is D-Arg-Dmt-Lys-Phe-NH2. How the Szeto-Schiller design works, the cardiolipin binding studies and its 2025 approval.
PT-141 (Bremelanotide): From Tanning-Peptide Metabolite to FDA-Approved Drug, a Research History
How PT-141 (bremelanotide) went from a Melanotan II offshoot to an FDA-approved drug, what its label says about receptor selectivity, and what the structural and in-vitro literature shows. Research use only.
Tirzepatide (LY3298176): Inside the GIP-Based Dual Agonist, From Molecule to FDA Record
An independent look at tirzepatide's chemistry, its imbalanced and biased receptor pharmacology, the 2022 cryo-EM structures, and its FDA approval and shortage record. Research use only.
Survodutide (BI 456906): How a Glucagon/GLP-1 Dual Agonist Was Chosen and Tested
Survodutide (BI 456906) is a lipidated GCGR/GLP-1R dual agonist. Its PubChem identity, the 19-candidate selection study, mouse data and two phase 2 readouts.
Retatrutide (LY3437943) Up Close: Structure, Synthesis and Detection of a Triple Agonist
How retatrutide binds GLP-1R, GIPR and GCGR in cryo-EM structures, how it is synthesized and detected, and how TRANSCEND-CKD is designed. Research use only.
Mazdutide Explained: The Dual GLP-1 and Glucagon Agonist in Two Chinese Trials
Mazdutide (IBI362, LY3305677) is a once-weekly GLP-1 and glucagon receptor dual agonist. Its PubChem record and how its phase 2 and GLORY-2 trials were designed. Research use only.
Cagrilintide Explained: The Long-Acting Amylin Analogue and Its Early Trials
Cagrilintide is a long-acting amylin analogue. Its PubChem record, the phase 1b study with semaglutide and the phase 2 dose-finding trial design. Research use only.
Selank Explained: The Tuftsin-Plus-Pro-Gly-Pro Heptapeptide and What Labs Measured
Selank (TKPRPGP) is tuftsin with a Pro-Gly-Pro tail. Its PubChem record, the enzyme and rat gene-expression studies, and FDA's compounding status. Research use only.
Semax: An ACTH(4-7) Plus Pro-Gly-Pro Peptide, Its Metal Chemistry and FDA Status
Semax (MEHFPGP) joins ACTH(4-7) to Pro-Gly-Pro. Its PubChem data, copper and zinc binding, rodent studies, and FDA compounding status. Research use only.
Epithalon Explained: The Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly Tetrapeptide and What Labs Reported
Epithalon (epitalon, AEDG) is a four-residue synthetic peptide. Its PubChem record, the 2003 fibroblast telomerase study and the long-term mouse study. Research use only.
CJC-1295: How an Albumin-Binding Tag Extended a GHRH Analog, and What FDA and WADA Say
How CJC-1295 was built to bind albumin, what the 2005 and 2006 papers measured, its PubChem record, and its FDA and WADA status. Research use only.
Tesamorelin (TH9507): Full-Length GRF With an N-Terminal Cap
Tesamorelin is all 44 residues of human GRF plus a trans-3-hexenoyl group on Tyr1. Why the cap blocks DPP-IV, plasma stability data and identity numbers.
NAD+ in the Lab: The Redox Coenzyme Behind the 340 nm Assay, Its Stability and Its Pathways
What NAD+ is chemically, why only NADH absorbs at 340 nm, how pH and buffer choice affect NAD+/NADH stability, and the synthesis and consumer pathways reviews describe. Research use only.
Ipamorelin: What Made the Pentapeptide "Selective," Read Through Its Source Papers
Ipamorelin's Aib-His-D-2-Nal-D-Phe-Lys-NH2 structure, the 1998 selectivity data, the 1999 pharmacokinetic study, and its FDA and WADA status. Research use only.
GHK-Cu Copper Peptide: From a 1973 Plasma Discovery to Copper Chemistry and Matrix Research
How GHK-Cu was discovered, how the tripeptide binds copper, where the GHK sequence comes from, what fibroblast and wound-chamber studies measured, and the FDA compounding status. Research use only.
CJC-1295 Without DAC (Mod GRF 1-29): The Four Substitutions Explained
CJC-1295 without DAC is GRF(1-29) with D-Ala2, Gln8, Ala15 and Leu27. Where each change came from, how DAC differs, and the masses doping labs measure.
TB-500 vs Thymosin Beta-4: The Ac-LKKTETQ Fragment and How Doping Labs Identified It
TB-500 is built around Ac-LKKTETQ, a 7-residue thymosin beta-4 fragment. How labs identified it, its PubChem record, and its FDA and WADA status. Research use only.
BPC-157 Under Review: What the FDA's 2026 Evaluation and the Published Studies Show
An evidence audit of BPC-157: its sequence and salt forms, the cell and animal studies behind its reputation, the thin human record, and the FDA's 2026 compounding review. Research use only.
MOTS-c: The 16-Amino-Acid Peptide Encoded in Mitochondrial DNA, and What the Key Studies Measured
How MOTS-c was found in the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene, its sequence and formula, what the 2015, 2018 and 2021 papers reported, the authors' disclosures, and FDA's compounding status. Research use only.