Glossary Terms

The somatostatin receptor subtype that octreotide and lanreotide bind most strongly — and the reason those drugs work in neuroendocrine

A broad inhibitory peptide produced in the brain, pancreas, and gut that suppresses growth hormone, insulin, glucagon, and multiple GI

A molecular relay inside cells — when a peptide binds a surface receptor, the second messenger carries the signal from

Dissolving a freeze-dried peptide powder in sterile water to produce an injectable solution — the step that converts what arrived

How specifically a compound targets one receptor type versus related receptors — higher selectivity generally means fewer unintended effects.Receptor selectivity

The proportion of a receptor type that is bound by a compound at a given concentration — not the same

The gold standard study design for establishing whether a treatment actually works — participants are randomly assigned to treatment or

The main thing a clinical trial was designed to measure — the result that actually determines whether the trial succeeded

Research done before human trials — in cells and animals. A necessary step, but not proof that something works or

A large protein precursor that gets cut up into multiple smaller active peptides — including ACTH, alpha-MSH, and beta-endorphin —