Zealand Pharma and Orbit Discovery have entered into a multi-target research collaboration to identify novel peptide therapeutics using Orbit's proprietary peptide display technology.

Zealand has a strong track record and world-leading capabilities in the discovery and development of peptides for therapeutic use in gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases. This includes expertise in optimization of physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties. Orbit has developed a proprietary technology that enables both random and focused libraries of linear and cyclic peptides to be generated incorporating natural and non-natural amino acids. The companies will work together to screen Orbit's peptide libraries against undisclosed targets to identify novel drug candidates for optimization by Zealand.

Andrew Parker, Executive Vice President and Chief Science Officer of Zealand, said: "Accessing cutting-edge technology is a key element of our strategy to enhance our peptide capabilities and expand our future clinical pipeline. Screening Orbit's peptide libraries will provide an additional option for Zealand to identify novel peptide therapeutics against the broadest range of drug targets for the treatment of gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases."

Alex Batchelor, Chief Executive Officer of Orbit Discovery, said: “Orbit's technology offers two key advantages over existing peptide display approaches: the greatest chemical diversity and the ability to screen in the widest array of assay formats."