Salipro Unlocks a New Class of Drug Targets with Breakthrough Tech

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – June 30, 2026 – A publication today in the prestigious journal Nature Scientific Reports details a critical advancement that could unlock a vast, previously inaccessible territory for drug discovery. Stockholm-based Salipro Biotech AB, in a landmark collaboration with industry giants and academic leaders, has established a technical proof-of-concept that effectively bridges one of the most persistent gaps in modern medicine: the challenge of targeting membrane proteins. By enabling a powerful screening technology for this notoriously difficult class of proteins, the company has created a new pathway from prototype to potential profit, not just for itself, but for the entire pharmaceutical industry.

The study showcases how Salipro's proprietary Salipro® platform allows for the high-throughput screening of millions of potential drug compounds against membrane proteins in their natural, functional state. This achievement addresses a fundamental bottleneck that has long stymied the development of new therapeutics for a wide array of diseases.

The “Undruggable” Challenge

For decades, membrane proteins have been both a holy grail and a source of immense frustration for drug developers. These proteins, which are embedded in the cell's outer lipid layer, act as critical gatekeepers and communicators, controlling everything from nerve signals to nutrient transport. They represent the target for over 60% of all currently approved drugs, yet this only scratches the surface of their potential. The vast majority remain "undruggable" due to their inherent instability.

When scientists try to remove these proteins from their native membrane environment for study, they often collapse, losing the specific three-dimensional shape required for their function—and for a drug to bind to them. Traditional methods often rely on detergents to extract the proteins, but these harsh agents can strip away essential lipids, effectively destroying the very target they are meant to isolate.

This is where DNA-Encoded Library (DEL) screening, a revolutionary technology in its own right, has historically hit a wall. DEL allows researchers to test billions of drug-like molecules against a protein target simultaneously, a process that is orders of magnitude faster than conventional screening. Each molecule is tagged with a unique DNA barcode, so after washing away non-binders, scientists can simply sequence the DNA of the remaining "hits" to identify promising candidates. The efficiency is unparalleled, but it requires a stable, functional protein target—something that has been almost impossible to achieve for most membrane proteins.

A Platform for Stability and Discovery

Salipro Biotech’s innovation directly confronts this stability problem. The company’s Salipro® platform works by encapsulating individual membrane proteins within a "Salipro nanoparticle," a belt of stabilizing proteins and lipids that mimics their native cellular environment. Crucially, this process is detergent-free. One of its key methods, DirectMX™, can even extract proteins directly from crude cell membranes, bypassing purification steps that could compromise fragile targets.

“This study highlights the potential of combining the Salipro platform with advanced screening technologies to extend drug discovery approaches to challenging membrane proteins,” said Jens Frauenfeld, CEO of Salipro Biotech, in a statement. “By preserving proteins in a native-like environment, we enable screening strategies that were previously difficult to apply.”

In the study, conducted with collaborators from AstraZeneca, DyNAbind, and the University of Copenhagen, the team used the Pannexin 1 (PANX1) ion channel as a model system. PANX1 is notoriously complex and has resisted attempts to find functional inhibitors. Using the Salipro-stabilized protein, they screened millions of DEL compounds and successfully identified novel binders. These hits were then validated, confirming not only that they bound to the target but that they could modulate its function.

This technical success is underpinned by a robust intellectual property portfolio, with patents extending into the 2040s. For investors and potential pharmaceutical partners, this de-risks the technology and cements the company's competitive advantage over other membrane-mimicking systems like nanodiscs or amphipols, which may still require initial detergent-based steps.

The Power of Strategic Partnership

This milestone was not achieved in isolation. It stands as a powerful testament to the modern model of biotech innovation, where strategic collaboration is paramount to translating complex science into commercial reality. The involvement of AstraZeneca, a global pharmaceutical leader, provides immediate industry validation and a clear line of sight to a potential customer pipeline.

The contribution from DyNAbind, a German specialist in DEL technology, was also critical. The synergy between Salipro's ability to provide a stable target and DyNAbind's expertise in screening created a combined solution more powerful than the sum of its parts. It demonstrates a clear commercialization strategy: partnering with best-in-class technology providers to create a comprehensive, end-to-end service for drug discovery programs.

The academic rigor was supplied by researchers at the University of Copenhagen. “Given the complex behaviour of PANX1, identifying functional inhibitors has been challenging to date," noted Trine Toft, an Associate Professor at the university. "Combining the right lipid environment with complementary expertise opens up ion channels as a more accessible target class.” This collaboration model—blending biotech innovation, pharma scale, and academic expertise—is precisely what investors and analysts look for as a sign of a mature and viable commercialization path.

Paving a New Path for Drug Pipelines

The publication in Nature Scientific Reports is more than an academic achievement; it's a commercial inflection point. By proving that DEL screening can be successfully and scalably applied to complex membrane proteins, Salipro Biotech has effectively opened a new and fertile hunting ground for pharmaceutical R&D. Companies now have a viable tool to pursue targets implicated in cancers, metabolic disorders, and neurological conditions that were previously off-limits.

For an industry facing patent cliffs and pressure to innovate, this opens the door to novel drug candidates and first-in-class medicines. An analyst familiar with drug discovery platforms noted, "What this does is turn a 'no-go' decision on a promising but difficult target into a 'go.' It expands the map of what's possible, and that has direct implications for the value and longevity of a company's R&D pipeline."

The ultimate impact, of course, lies with patients. By making the "undruggable" druggable, this technological leap offers hope for new and more effective treatments for diseases that currently have limited options. The journey from a stabilized protein in a lab to a new medicine on a pharmacy shelf is long and arduous, but this breakthrough marks the clearing of a major, long-standing roadblock on that path. The findings highlight the potential to expand DEL screening into new areas of pharmacologically relevant biology and support more reliable hit discovery.