Peptides are having a moment.
From GLP-1 medicines to skincare, peptides have moved from a relatively niche scientific term to something consumers, brands and investors are suddenly talking about. And the hype is not limited to human health.
Peptides are an incredibly versatile class of molecules. They can be used in nutrition, cosmetics, agriculture and beyond, with applications ranging from functional ingredients and skin health to crop protection and biostimulation.
But there is a less glamorous question behind the peptide boom: can we actually produce them at the scale and cost required for the market?
This is where a promising peptide can hit a wall. A molecule may work beautifully in the lab, but if its production depends on expensive synthesis or is difficult to scale, the economics may not work outside the laboratory.
Precision fermentation offers another route.
At 21st.BIO, we develop production technologies for proteins and peptides using highly productive microbial strains and optimized fermentation and downstream processes.
That can mean taking a peptide that already exists in nature and finding a more efficient way to produce it, or helping companies turn a completely new peptide sequence into a viable production process.
We ensure your production is scalable and cost-efficient from the beginning, while reducing the technical and economic risks of getting from discovery to large-scale industrial manufacturing.
