Explore FUJIFILM’s Cyclic Peptide Discovery Service
Scientist
on
January 27, 2026
This blog post was written by FUJIFILM Corporation, a global contract research organization (CRO) providing drug discovery and preclinical services for cyclic peptide discovery, biological assays utilizing hiPSC-derived cells and discovery platforms for infectious diseases. Their services are available on Scientist.com.
Ready to boost your peptide discovery? Utilize Fujifilm’s mRNA display-based service for diverse, high-affinity cyclic peptides.
Unlock Advanced Therapeutics with Fujifilm’s Peptide Discovery Service
Peptides with wide varieties and high affinities (~nM) can be obtained with high success rate.
- Proprietary mRNA display methods enable efficient screening.
- Practical biosynthesis & assays enable rapid selection and activity explorations.
Introduction
Peptides are gathering significant attention, not only for their affinity and specificity towards a diverse array of target proteins but also for their tissue permeability (oral suitability) and ease of chemical synthesis. Notably, cyclic peptides that incorporate unnatural amino acids are expected as PPI inhibitors. Additionally, they are anticipated to act as DDS ligands, facilitating the delivery of nucleic acid-based medicines and other drugs to targeted tissues/cells due to their exceptional binding affinity and stability.
Fujifilm offers a comprehensive suite of contract services. Our core offerings include the use of mRNA display technology to discover peptides that bind strongly and specifically to target proteins, combined with rapid structural optimization and activity screening of these hit peptides (e.g., inhibitory activity, selectivity). Additionally, we provide supporting services such as peptide chemical synthesis and the preparation of target proteins.
Cyclic peptide with unnatural amino acids
Cyclic peptides with unnatural amino acids have the following characteristics:
- Wide binding capacity and high specificity to undruggable targets.
- Higher stability, lower immunogenicity and higher tissue permeability than antibodies.
- The ability to be chemically synthesized and be conjugated to other molecules. CMC difficulty is also low.
Cyclic peptides are expected in various drug candidates due to their unique characteristics.
* We can also handle other peptides and small proteins.
Overview of Peptide Discovery Services
Flow
We receive target proteins* 1 from the customer and return the structural information of the acquired peptides.
*1 Required target protein: 0.1~0.5 mg, >90% in purity
Features
- Innovative improvements in mRNA display enable screening from >1013 peptides.
- Practical biosynthesis & assays enable rapid selection and activity explorations.
Peptides with wide varieties and high-affinities(~nM) can be obtained with high success rate. (If you are interested in details of our track record, please feel free to contact us).
mRNA display technology
- Improved mRNA display allows screening from a huge library.
- Many conditions (=cycle size, targets, selections) can be performed in parallel.
A variety of hits have been obtained with a high success rate.
Biosynthesis & assays
Rapid selection and activity exploration by practical biosynthesis & assay combined with conventional chemical synthesis.
Chemical Synthesis: long lead time (20~30days) and not suited to parallel synthesis/purification.
Biosynthesis: short lead time (5~7days) and suited for parallel preparation (~1,000 peptides/month).
Track records
Hit peptides have been obtained toward >20 targets with our platform.
High binding affinity was achieved as the Hits in initial screening.
In-house projects:
e.g.1: Selection of FGFR binding peptides
Diverse binding peptides were successfully obtained toward both of 2 FGFRs (fibroblast growth factor receptor).
e.g.2: Identification of FGFR agonist
- FGFR activatable peptide had been found through rapid and exhaustive cell activity screening with biosynthetic peptides from diverse hit peptides.
- Optimized peptide showed same cell growth rate with the natural protein (bFGF) in MSC (Mesenchymal Stem Cell).
e.g.3: Cyclic peptide for DDS
- siRNAs were conjugated to the integrin αvβ3-binding peptide. With this Peptide Oligonucleotide Conjugates, cell-selective target gene knockdown was achieved.
Scientific Resources
2025
Poster presentation at TIDES USA：
- Peptide Discovery Platform for Advancing Peptide-Oligonucleotide Conjugation (Yukiko Ishii, Shin Izuta, Masahiro Kochi, Koo Suzuki) Poster presentation at 29th American Peptide Symposium/15th International Peptide Symposium：
- Peptide Discovery Platform for Advancing Peptide-Oligonucleotide Conjugation (Yukiko Ishii, Shin Izuta, Masahiro Kochi, Koo Suzuki)
2024
Poster presentation at Discovery US 2024:
- Cyclic Peptide Discovery Services (Yukiko Ishii, Shin Izuta, Ryota Haba)
As interest in peptide-based therapeutics continues to grow, scalable and sensitive discovery platforms are becoming increasingly important. Fujifilm’s mRNA display – based peptide discovery services provide a structured approach to identifying high-affinity peptide candidates, supporting early-stage drug discovery across a range of therapeutic applications.
If you are interested in learning more, please feel free to contact us using the form below. We look forward to the opportunity to support your drug discovery efforts as a trusted partner.
Speak to our scientists: https://global.fujifilm.com/en/form/healthcare/life-sciences-cro