Peptides Academypeptide Research Timeline
Key milestones in peptide research — from early laboratory characterization to global clinical adoption.
1901
1901
Discovery of the peptide bond
foundationalEmil Fischer and Franz Hofmeister independently describe the peptide bond as the central structural link between amino acids — foundational to biochemistry.
1921
1921
Discovery of insulin
foundationalBanting and Best isolate insulin — the first therapeutic peptide and a landmark that transformed diabetes from fatal to manageable.
1973
1973
GHK tripeptide isolation
cosmeticLoren Pickart isolates the GHK tripeptide from human plasma, initiating decades of cosmetic and wound-healing research into copper-tripeptide complexes.
1983
1983
Cloning of GHRH
ghsRivier and Vale characterize GHRH (growth-hormone-releasing hormone), opening the door to GHRH-analog drug development (Sermorelin, CJC-1295, Tesamorelin).
1991
1991
Isolation of Body Protection Compound
regenerativeSikiric and colleagues isolate BPC from gastric juice protein — the parent compound for the synthetic BPC-157 fragment that would become a staple of regenerative peptide research.
2010
2010
FDA approval of tesamorelin
ghsTesamorelin (Egrifta) receives FDA approval for HIV-associated lipodystrophy — the first FDA-approved synthetic GHRH analog.
2014
2014
FDA approval of liraglutide for obesity
metabolicLiraglutide (Saxenda) becomes the first GLP-1 agonist approved specifically for chronic weight management, setting the stage for the obesity-medicine transformation.
2015
2015
MOTS-c identified
longevityLee and colleagues describe MOTS-c, a peptide encoded in the mitochondrial 12S rRNA, establishing the 'mitokine' concept of mitochondrial-origin signaling peptides.
2021
2021
FDA approval of semaglutide for obesity
metabolicSemaglutide 2.4 mg (Wegovy) receives FDA approval for chronic weight management after the STEP-1 trial reported ~15% mean weight reduction — a transformative moment in obesity medicine.
2022
2022
FDA approval of tirzepatide for type 2 diabetes
metabolicTirzepatide (Mounjaro) — the first dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist — receives FDA approval for type-2 diabetes after SURPASS trials showed superiority to semaglutide.
2023
2023
SELECT trial: semaglutide cardiovascular benefit
metabolicThe SELECT trial demonstrates a 20% reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events in overweight/obese adults without diabetes — first CV outcome for GLP-1 agonism outside T2D.
2023
2023
FDA section 503A peptide list update
regulatoryFDA adds BPC-157, CJC-1295, and several other peptides to its list of substances that raise significant safety concerns for compounding under section 503A — a regulatory signal reshaping the US peptide landscape.
2025
2025
SURMOUNT-5: tirzepatide vs semaglutide head-to-head
metabolicResults of the SURMOUNT-5 trial show tirzepatide producing ~20% mean weight reduction vs ~15% for semaglutide at maximum tolerated doses over 72 weeks.