You need the target antigen in a form suitable for immobilisation or biotinylation, typically at least 50-100 micrograms of purified protein per panning round, and a phage display library of sufficient diversity. For cell-based panning, a stable cell line expressing the target at physiological density is used instead of purified protein.
Phage Display Technology
M13 Phage Display Library Kit and Panning Reagents
Phage display library kits and reagents for fast antibody and peptide discovery
Select high-affinity peptides or antibody fragments against your target of interest with a ready-to-use phage display library kit, so you skip building your own library from scratch. A full line of phage display reagents covers every stage of your workflow, from library construction through panning to mammalian validation.
Premade phage display peptide library kits are available in two formats for your project: a 12-mer linear peptide library for broad coverage and a 10-mer cyclic peptide library for higher-affinity hits. Both are built on type 3 phage display vectors.
For your display of scFv or Fab antibody fragments, phagemid vectors are available in several configurations offering varied cloning sites and display strategies. Type 3 phage vectors support multivalent display suited to peptides and scFv for your initial enrichment rounds. A p3-truncated helper phage with high titre and sequence-verified gene II is available for your library rescue.
For mammalian expression validation after your biopanning, a shuttle vector enables rapid transient expression of scFv-Fc fusions in suspension cells. Pricing for all products is available on request.
Choose the right phage display reagent for your application stage.
- De novo peptide binder discovery. A premade linear or cyclic peptide library kit suits your work here. Cyclic peptide formats generally give higher-affinity hits; linear formats are faster to screen. Both are based on type 3 phage vectors offering large, diverse libraries.
- Antibody fragment (scFv or Fab) display. A phagemid vector suits this work. Phagemids produce monovalent display, which gives better discrimination during your panning than multivalent phage vectors. Configurations differ in cloning sites and tags; the best fit matches your VH/VL assembly strategy.
- Custom peptide or scFv library construction. A type 3 phage vector suits your multivalent display, and a phagemid suits monovalent display; both pair with a p3-truncated helper phage for library rescue. The truncation reduces wild-type pIII competition and increases display of the insert-pIII fusion.
- Mammalian validation of selected binders. An scFv-Fc mammalian shuttle vector supports transient expression in suspension HEK293 or CHO cells, confirming binding activity and enabling your initial characterisation before full antibody reformatting.
Applications
Antibody discovery from naive or synthetic libraries
M13 phagemid scFv or Fab libraries pan against biotinylated antigen, confirmed by phage ELISA before recombinant antibody reformatting.
Peptide ligand identification for targeted drug delivery
Cyclic peptide libraries panned against tumour antigens identify targeting motifs for conjugation via site-specific labelling kits.
Enzyme active-site mapping
Peptide library panning against enzyme active sites identifies substrate-mimicking inhibitors and maps active-site spatial requirements at residue level.
Vaccine antigen optimisation
Panning against antibodies from convalescent or vaccinated donors identifies peptide mimotopes of protective epitopes, informing subunit vaccine antigen design.
Affinity maturation of antibody fragments
Diversify CDRs of your scFv or Fab by error-prone PCR, re-clone into a phagemid, then pan under stringent conditions. Confirm by Sanger sequencing.
Protein interaction domain mapping
Pan a peptide library against your purified protein domain to identify short linear motifs, helping define binding partners and interaction surfaces.
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Phage Display Technology
A Defined Path From Naive Library to Validated Binder
Frequently asked questions
Primary validation uses monoclonal phage ELISA comparing binding signal on target antigen against a control antigen or blank surface. Positive clones are Sanger-sequenced to confirm unique CDR or insert sequences. Secondary validation reformats the selected sequence as soluble scFv or IgG and measures binding by SPR, BLI, or cell-based assay to confirm affinity and specificity independent of the phage particle.
Helper phage provides the phage replication and assembly machinery in trans to cells harbouring a phagemid. The phagemid carries the insert-pIII fusion gene but lacks other structural genes needed for phage particle assembly. Truncated helper phage variants that produce a defective pIII protein from the helper genome increase competitive display of the insert-pIII fusion over wild-type pIII.
Yes. Small molecules or haptens are conjugated to a carrier protein such as BSA or KLH, or immobilised directly on a bead surface, and used as the panning target. Counter-selection against the unconjugated carrier is essential to remove binders directed at the protein scaffold rather than the hapten. This approach has been used to generate peptide and scFv binders to drugs, vitamins, and environmental contaminants.
Product catalogs
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