Research
Semaglutide
A modified 31-amino-acid analogue of human GLP-1, engineered for a long plasma half-life.
Available in the catalogue
Supplied as research material. Sizes and pricing are on the product page. Availability is not a statement about what a compound does.
What is being investigated
Directions the published work points at, and how far each has actually got. These are open questions, not established effects: most of what looks promising in cells does not replicate in animals, and most of what works in animals does not work in people. Nothing here is a claim about what this compound does for anyone.
- Body weight in obesity
The largest randomised programme behind anything in this catalogue, reporting mean weight change of −14.9% over 68 weeks against −2.4% on placebo. What was studied throughout was an authorised medicine under medical supervision — no published trial has used research-grade material.
Human trials
- Glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes
The indication the molecule was developed for and authorised in first, with HbA1c as the endpoint across a long series of randomised trials.
Human trials
- Cardiovascular events
Randomised outcome trials asked whether the weight and glycaemic effects translate into fewer heart attacks and strokes, which is a different and much harder question than either.
Human trials
- Neurodegeneration, addiction and inflammation
GLP-1 receptors are found well beyond the pancreas and gut, which has produced trials in Alzheimer's disease and in alcohol and nicotine use. The mechanism is the reason for the question; these have not reported, so there is no result to read.
Proposed from mechanism
Published research
Every reference below was checked against the published record before being listed, with the model each study used.
- Wilding et al. (2021)New England Journal of Medicine · 384(11):989–1002
Reported mean body weight change of −14.9% over 68 weeks versus −2.4% on placebo, alongside lifestyle intervention.
human, randomised double-blind placebo-controlled (STEP 1) Source
Further reading
Longer articles on handling, analysis and what the published work reports.
- Semaglutide: what the research says
A GLP-1 receptor agonist and the active ingredient of EU-authorised medicines. What the trials reported, the discontinuation rates, and the open questions.
- How to store research peptides
Lyophilised peptides at -20°C, reconstituted at 2–8°C, ambient in transit. Why the dry cake tolerates shipping, and what actually degrades a vial.
- Peptide shelf life and stability
How long lyophilised and reconstituted peptides keep, and the four things that shorten it: temperature, moisture, light and oxidation. Storage figures included.
- How to reconstitute lyophilised peptides
How to reconstitute a lyophilised peptide with bacteriostatic water without damaging it: why you run the liquid down the vial wall and never shake it.