Fujifilm has announced that it has developed a new screening process for cyclic peptides exhibiting high affinity toward membrane proteins.
The company said in a statement that the new technology will enable it to offer cyclic peptide discovery services targeting challenging membrane proteins, including multi-pass transmembrane proteins, which represent complex drug targets.
The results of this study are scheduled to be presented at TIDES USA, an exhibition from May 11 to 14, 2026, at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts.
Cyclic peptides have been gaining attention in drug discovery for their high affinity, tissue permeability and synthetic versatility.
Since 2023, Fujifilm has offered peptide discovery services using proprietary mRNA display technology.
However, existing screening methods often require isolating drug target proteins, which can be problematic, especially for multi-pass transmembrane proteins that may lose their native structure during this process.
Additionally, using live cells for peptide discovery poses challenges, as mRNA tags in libraries are prone to degradation in cell culture media.
In its statement, Fujifilm said that, to address these issues in peptide discovery, it has developed a new, innovative peptide library.
The library features mRNA tags resistant to degradation in cell culture media, enabling direct screening of peptides that bind to multi-pass transmembrane proteins on living cells.
Using this technology, Fujifilm can identify peptides that specifically bind to G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) on target-expressing cell lines.
This advancement is expected to broaden opportunities for targeting membrane proteins and to meet the diverse needs of drug discovery researchers.
Fujifilm also added that it is expanding its global drug discovery services for peptide therapeutics, providing a wide range of contract research services focused on peptide discovery, high-throughput screening and structural optimisation.
The firm's comprehensive one-stop service includes peptide chemical synthesis and target protein expression and purification to meet diverse research needs.