Solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) has enabled widespread use of synthetic peptides in applications ranging from pharmaceuticals to materials science. The demand for synthetic peptides has driven recent efforts to produce automated SPPS synthesizers which utilize fluid-handling components common to chemistry laboratories to drive costs down to several thousand dollars. Herein, we describe the design and validation of a more frugal SPPS synthesizer that uses inexpensive, consumer-grade fluid-handling components to achieve a prototype price point between US$300 and $600. We demonstrated functionality by preparing and characterizing peptides with a variety of distinct properties including binding functionality, nanoscale self-assembly, and oxidation-induced fluorescence. This system yielded micromoles of peptide at a cost of approximately $1/residue, a cost which may be further reduced by optimization and bulk purchasing.

中文翻译：

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节俭的自动化固相肽合成仪的设计和验证

固相肽合成（SPPS）已使合成肽广泛应用于从药物到材料科学的各种应用中。对合成肽的需求推动了最近的努力，以生产自动化的SPPS合成器，该合成器利用化学实验室常用的流体处理组分将成本降低到数千美元。本文中，我们描述了一种更节俭的SPPS合成器的设计和验证，该合成器使用廉价的消费级流体处理组件，使原型价格在300美元至600美元之间。我们通过制备和表征具有多种不同性质的肽（包括结合功能，纳米级自组装和氧化诱导的荧光）证明了功能。