The race to isolate the hypothalamic hormones, the prize it produced, and the one hormone that got away until 1982

Published 26 October 2026 · REVIVE LAB UAE Research Desk · 5 min read
Roger Guillemin at the Salk Institute and Andrew Schally at Tulane competed through the 1960s and 1970s to isolate the hypothalamic factors that Geoffrey Harris had predicted control the pituitary, processing hundreds of thousands of sheep and pig hypothalami to obtain micrograms of peptide. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone was sequenced in 1969, gonadotropin-releasing hormone in 1971, and somatostatin — the growth hormone-inhibiting hormone — in 1973; the two shared the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Rosalyn Yalow. The growth hormone-releasing factor defeated the method because the hypothalamus contains too little and it degrades too fast, and it was Guillemin and, separately, Vale and Rivier who finally obtained it in 1982 from pancreatic tumours rather than brains.

The method and its limits

Fresh hypothalamic fragments were collected by the tonne from abattoirs, extracted, and fractionated through many chromatographic steps with a bioassay at each stage. Yields were micrograms from tonnes. The approach worked for peptides present in nanogram amounts per gland and stable through extraction. GHRH, present in smaller amounts and inactivated by the peptidases released in homogenisation, gave inconsistent activity and no sequence.

Somatostatin, its physiological opponent, was found almost by accident in the same material a decade before it was.

Why the tumours succeeded

A tumour secreting the hormone ectopically contains milligrams, not nanograms, and can be extracted as a single tissue without the degradation of pooled brains. Two patients with acromegaly from such tumours, one in each group hands, supplied the material, and the sequences followed within months. The hypothalamic hormone, obtained later, proved identical.

The episode is the standard example of disease as a source of biochemical reagents.

Why it is here

Because the hormone in the pack has a history that explains why it arrived late and why it was first a scientific tool rather than a drug. It describes history and no use of the pack.

Tesamorelin is supplied by REVIVE LAB UAE for laboratory research use only, with identity by mass spectrometry and purity by HPLC for the batch. It is not for human or veterinary use, and no dosing, administration or protocol guidance is provided.

What it costs

FormatStrengthPriceAvailability
Tesamorelin Pack20 mgAED 1010In stock

Delivery is AED 40 flat and free on orders over AED 700. Payment is cash on delivery anywhere in the UAE, or USDT (TRC20) in advance, which takes 5% off the order total.

Frequently asked

The method and its limits?

Fresh hypothalamic fragments were collected by the tonne from abattoirs, extracted, and fractionated through many chromatographic steps with a bioassay at each stage. Yields were micrograms from tonnes. The approach worked for peptides present in nanogram amounts per gland and stable through extraction. GHRH, present in smaller amounts and inactivated by the peptidases released in homogenisation, gave inconsistent activity and no sequence.

Does REVIVE LAB UAE provide dosing guidance?

No. REVIVE LAB UAE supplies research materials and provides no dosing, administration or protocol guidance of any kind. Every product is sold for laboratory research use only and is not for human or veterinary consumption.

How fast is delivery in the UAE?

Stock is held in Dubai. An order confirmed before 4 PM Dubai time is dispatched the same working day, reaching Dubai and Abu Dhabi the same day and the remaining emirates within 24 hours. Delivery is AED 40 flat and free over AED 700.

Tesamorelin Pack — in stock, dispatched from Dubai
HPLC-verified, lot certificate on every carton, 24-hour delivery nationwide. Browse the catalogue → All peptides UAE

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Supplied for laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary consumption. REVIVE LAB UAE provides no dosing, administration or protocol guidance.