Profile: Simmer

I’ve been coordinating peptide orders for an immunology project, and the main thing I’ve found is that consistent purity over multiple batches is a real challenge. A lot of providers advertise high specs but don’t always deliver the same quality from one synthesis to the next. So now I always ask if they’ve done similar sequences before and if they use in-house synthesis or outsource. That can really impact batch reliability.Also, storage and shipping conditions matter more than I thought—especially if your peptide is hydrophobic or easily degraded. I’ve started requesting documentation about how they handle lyophilization and stabilization. It’s a small thing, but in longer-term studies it can really affect results if the product degrades faster than expected.

Honestly, I don’t think I ever really noticed how stress built up until it started showing up physically — tight shoulders, headaches, that feeling like I couldn’t “switch off” even when the day was over. What helped was not trying to eliminate stress (because that’s impossible), but figuring out how to respond to it more deliberately. One thing that helped was lowering my expectations in some areas. For example, if my week was going to be packed, I’d tell close friends that I might be slower to reply or not join every hangout. Just giving myself that space, and letting others know, actually felt like taking control again. I also stopped trying to power through the day and instead took a 20-minute walk without my phone, which helped me reset and come back more focused.