Origins and Discovery
BPC, the parent peptide, is a ~40-residue protein found in human gastric juice that was identified during research into endogenous gastroprotective compounds at the University of Zagreb in the late 1980s and early 1990s. BPC-157 represents a synthetic, stable 15-residue fragment of this parent sequence selected for its biological activity in early experimental models.
The original characterization of BPC-157 is associated with Predrag Sikiric and collaborators, whose research group has published widely on its activity in preclinical experimental models. Subsequent investigations by independent research groups have expanded the body of published literature beyond gastrointestinal models into musculoskeletal, vascular, and dermal contexts.