Development, Characterization, and Application of Bioactive Peptides, Diagnostic Biomarkers, and Pharmaceutical Proteins

As proteins and peptides are the most abundant and versatile biomolecules, playing many critical roles in nearly every life process, many proteins/peptides are also strongly associated with human health and diseases. Various protein/peptide molecules have been proposed as biomarkers with potential diagnostic or prognostic value, and renewed interests in exploring peptides/proteins as crucial targets for therapeutic purposes have arisen. Bioactive proteins/peptides including various enzymes, antibodies, and peptide hormones have been developed and serve as biopharmaceuticals for clinical use. In addition, the advances in protein/peptide technology include the development of pharmaceutical molecular platforms such as peptide nanoparticles and drug delivery systems.