University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute

Services

The Peptide Synthesis Facility offers comprehensive services to UPCI research programs using synthetic peptide techniques.

Consultation services

The Facility Director, Manager, and staff invest a considerable amount of time meeting with investigators to discuss their specific research objectives and the appropriate peptide design, quantity, and purity. The importance of this service cannot be underestimated as many investigators, both basic and clinical, have little knowledge or experience with synthetic peptide methodologies. We have found that initial consultations with investigators greatly improves the potential for success and maximizes the efficient use of core resources.

Peptide Synthesis Options

Synthetic peptides are prepared by standard Fmoc chemistry to couple L-amino acids into peptides ranging from several amino acids to a maximum of over 100 residues. The scale of the synthesis can range from micrograms to kilograms. While some peptide products can be used after minimal purification by gel filtration and organic solvent extractions (e.g., peptides for antibody production), most peptides are purified by reverse phase HPLC to remove organic reagents that can be toxic to cells and to purify the desired peptide product from a heterogeneous population of peptide products. Peptides can be prepared under standard laboratory conditions or in a dedicated Certified lab with appropriate certifications for FDA approval for human clinical trials. The Facility produces several Certified peptides per year and has enjoyed a 100% approval by the FDA on the product and certification.

The Facility has developed synthetic methods for a range of specialized peptide modifications that include acetylation; dye conjugation; cyclization for single, double, or triple loop structures; biotinylation (N-terminal or orthogonal); fatty acylation; phosphorylation; carboxyamidation; radioactive labeling (¹⁵N, ³H, or ¹⁴C); and D-amino acid incorporation.