Bruce Merrifield and solid‐phase peptide synthesis: A historical assessment

Bruce Merrifield, trained as a biochemist, had to address three major challenges related to the development and acceptance of solid‐phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). The challenges were (1) to reduce the concept of peptide synthesis on a insoluble support to practice, (2) overcome the resistance of synthetic chemists to this novel approach, and (3) establish that a biochemist had the scientific credentials to effect the proposed revolutionary change in chemical synthesis. How these challenges were met is discussed in this article. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers (Pept Sci) 90: 175–184, 2008. This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The “Published Online” date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com