Evolution of the display technologies

Display technology, in which the phenotype (polypeptide) is linked to the genotype (nucleic acid), usually relies on the creation of large libraries and their subsequent evolution in order to select the best binders. The field is currently in the midst of an exciting revolution, and many of the latest advances were on display at a recent meeting. Filamentous phage (of the Ff family) remains the most popular display modality, but many other formats are now challenging its supremacy. Some of these have intrinsic scientific advantages; others appear to have been developed to invent around the selective pressure of the evolving phage display patent position.