Research
Opportunities with Phage Display
Dyax scientists invented and patented phage display in the late 1980s.
This technology allows the display of many therapeutic candidate molecules on the surface of a small bacterial virus called a bacteriophage (phage). These molecules include:
- Human antibody fragments
- Peptides
- Small proteins (such as Kunitz domains)
A collection of displayed molecules is known as a library and can contain up to tens of billions of different molecules. Phage display enables Dyax to search through these libraries.
Phage display can rapidly identify molecules that bind with high specificity and affinity to targets of therapeutic interest. All therapeutic candidates (e.g., small molecules or biologics) bind to a therapeutic target such as a protein, DNA, RNA or carbohydrate. Some therapeutic candidates modify these molecules. A key advantage to biologics is that they can bind to a target and no other similar molecule; they are highly specific.
Dyax's automated screening methods have allowed us to streamline the screening of these libraries to isolate leads against therapeutic targets. These methods have led to two approved products and multiple candidates now in the clinic.
New candidates can get to the clinic quickly with these libraries and methods, and many preclinical programs are rapidly approaching human trials.