Book excerpt: In recent years, research has shown the importance of peptides in neuroscience, immunology, and cell biology. Active research programs worldwide are now engaged in developing peptide-based drugs and vaccines using modification of natural peptides and proteins, design of artificial peptides and peptide mimetics, and screening of peptide and phage libraries. In this comprehensive book, the authors discuss peptide synthesis and application within the context of their increasing importance to the pharmaceutical industry. Peptides: Synthesis, Structures, and Applications explores the broad growth of information in modern peptide synthetic methods and the structure-activity relationships of synthetic polypeptides. - The history of peptide chemistry - Amide formation, deprotection, and disulfide formation in peptide synthesis - Solid-phase peptide synthesis - a-helix formation by peptides in water - Stability and dynamics of peptide conformation - An overview of structure-function studies of peptide hormones - Neuropeptides:peptide and nonpeptide analogs - Reversible inhibitors of serine proteinases - Design of polypeptides - Current capabilities and future possibilities of soluble chemical combinatorial libraries - Epitope mapping with peptides - Synthesis and applications of branched peptides in immunological methods and vaccines