Attributed to Increase Use in Drug and Vaccine Development Continued growth and a changing landscape characterize the custom peptides marketplace, as suppliers ramp up capacity to meet rising demand in both the research and therapeutics markets. With pharma increasingly focusing on biologics and moving peptide drugs through their pipelines into late-stage development, and the research community focusing significant resources on vaccines and biomarker discovery, the demand for higher quality proteins and peptides, large peptide libraries for screening applications, and modified GMP peptides with improved stability profiles and pharmacokinetic properties is driving double-digit annual growth. Even as strong demand shows no signs of abating, at least in the near term, building pressures to drive down costs, assure higher quality-control standards, and increase the throughput and efficiency of synthesis processes will continue to drive development of novel synthesis, modification, and purification strategies, encourage companies to target emerging markets, and expand globally to maintain a competitive advantage. Trends to watch include rapid growth in the areas of vaccines, biomarkers, and protein therapeutics, the growing popularity of microwave-based peptide synthesis technology, and innovative strategies to enhance delivery and bioavailability of peptide drugs, as well as increasing investment in China and the emergence of Chinese companies competing for global market share for custom peptides and raw materials. Making headlines, Lonza (www.lonza.com) acquired Brussels-based peptide manufacturer UCB Bioproducts (www.ucb-bioproducts.com)in late February for E120 million ($152 million). CEM LibertyBlue 自動多肽合成儀