High Throughput Screening Assays to Map Macrocyclic Peptide Permeability and Stability Properties

AstraZeneca invites partners across the global scientific community to contribute established screening assays, or predictive models relevant to oral bioavailability and/or cell permeability of macrocyclic peptides that can help map and model the property space required for oral and cell-permeable macrocyclic peptides. They particularly welcome: 

• High-throughput screening assays (in vitro and ex vivo) or advanced in silico platforms for quantifying key properties relevant to oral bioavailability and/or cellular permeability of macrocyclic peptides
• Novel or proprietary methods for predicting, quantifying, or modelling the physicochemical space that governs permeability and oral absorption in macrocyclic peptides
• Annotated data generated from these screening methods

Proposed collaborations or data contributions should either provide experimental proof-of-concept, published evidence, or actionable approaches for generating datasets or screening tools that address these key parameters. Solutions that enable parallel evaluation of multiple macrocyclic peptides, or which deliver mechanistic or predictive insights into the determinants of oral and cell permeability, are particularly encouraged. Please see page [NUMBER] of the submission form [LINK] for further details on the solution criteria.

The selected collaborator will receive at least 8 benchmark compounds to confirm permeability ranking in a blinded study. Following screening, compounds will be unblinded for the collaborator and available to use freely. 

Out of scope: Proposals that are hypothetical, lack experimental feasibility, or involve low-throughput experimental or predictive modelling approaches that are not scalable for parallel evaluation of large compound sets will be given a lower priority. 

Submission Information

AstraZeneca invites applications from both academic and biotech organizations, and encourage proposals based on existing technologies or methods. Applicants should complete the submission form [ADD LINK] which should contain a brief, non‑confidential overview of your proposal, demonstrating how the RFP requirements are satisfied by your approach. Proposals should outline the resources required to solve the problem. To submit your proposal, please visit our website, register, and submit your application form under the appropriate Connect campaign. 

Opportunity for Collaboration

• Co-development opportunity with AstraZeneca 
• Technology validation support: AstraZeneca’s expertise in assay standardization and FAIR data principles to help optimize and validate your screening methods 
• Co-publication opportunities: joint publication rights for significant findings and model developments arising 
• Global network access: Introduction to AstraZeneca’s broader peptide research network and potential additional collaboration opportunities