The design of biologically active polypeptides.

On the one hand considerable advances are being made in the computer-aided calculation of polypeptide structure and behaviour, while on the other even very simple reasoning has lead to some apparent successes in the design and synthesis of biologically active peptides. While this looks extremely promising, there is a case for arguing that progress made in both these areas is to some degree illusory. Such criticisms as can be made, however, turn out to be highly constructive, suggesting a profitable and still workable approach to the problem of rational polypeptide design.