Glossary
Research terms, explained
Quick definitions of words you’ll see in our library and in research papers.
- Amino acid
- One of the 20 building blocks that link together to form peptides and proteins.
- Category 2 (FDA)
- The FDA’s label for bulk drug substances it has flagged as possibly presenting significant safety risks in compounding.
- Certificate of Analysis (COA)
- A lab report showing test results, such as identity and purity, for a specific batch.
- Clinical trial
- A formal research study in human volunteers, run under ethics and regulatory oversight.
- Compounding
- When a licensed pharmacist or physician combines or alters drug ingredients to make a medication for a specific patient.
- Endotoxin
- A substance from certain bacteria that labs test for as a contamination check.
- FDA approval
- The US Food and Drug Administration’s decision that a drug is safe and effective for a specific use, based on clinical evidence.
- Half-life
- How long it takes for half of a substance to be broken down or cleared.
- HPLC
- High-performance liquid chromatography. A lab method that separates a sample’s parts to measure purity.
- Immunogenicity
- The chance that a substance triggers an unwanted immune reaction.
- In vitro
- Research done outside a living body, for example in cells grown in a dish.
- In vivo
- Research done in a living organism, such as mice or rats.
- Lyophilized
- Freeze-dried. A common way to keep peptides stable as a dry powder.
- Mass spectrometry (MS)
- A lab method that measures molecular weight to confirm a compound’s identity.
- Peer review
- When independent experts check a study before a journal publishes it.
- Peptide
- A short chain of amino acids, usually 2 to about 50. Longer chains are generally called proteins.
- Placebo
- An inactive comparison used in studies so researchers can tell real effects from expectation effects.
- Preclinical
- Research done before any human studies, usually in cells and animals.
- PubMed
- A free search engine from the US National Library of Medicine for biomedical research papers.
- Purity
- The share of a sample that is the intended compound, usually stated as a percentage.
- Research use only (RUO)
- A label meaning a material is sold for laboratory research, not for use in people or animals and not for diagnosis.
- Systematic review
- A study that gathers and evaluates all of the research on one question using a set method.