Invaio Sciences acquires Peptyde Bio to accelerate nature-positive crop protection pipeline

Invaio Sciences announced it has acquired Peptyde Bio, a company that discovers, designs and characterizes novel peptides for use in agriculture. The acquisition brings an established platform and IP portfolio that will enable Invaio to speed up the design and discovery of biologically active peptides that can protect crops from pests and disease in a more sustainable way. 

Invaio's pioneering innovation approach is designed to produce nature-positive solutions for farmers by combining new active ingredients that are better for the environment with breakthrough systems that protect and deliver these actives. Driving this approach are two critical research areas: 

The first is a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence- and machine learning-enabled Discovery Engine that identifies and designs more targeted biological actives to control crop pests and diseases, addressing sustainability concerns around traditional crop protection treatments in vegetables, row crops and perennials. 

The second is programming and deploying Biological Delivery Systems to improve the performance of actives. These include biological solutions that are better for the environment, but which can be unreliable in field conditions. These systems protect actives, delivering them exactly where they need to go and quickly biodegrading once their job is done. 

"This acquisition adds Peptyde Bio's portfolio of confirmed peptide lead candidates for use in crop protection to our existing pipeline. When combined with our innovative biological delivery systems, we are uniquely positioned to offer growers more natural, efficient and effective solutions to protect their crops," says Ignacio Martinez, Founding CEO of Invaio. "It's a truly exciting time for Invaio and the industry as we accelerate the leap to more nature-positive solutions for farmers." 

"We're delighted to bring Peptyde Bio into the Invaio fold," says Yajie Niu, Chief Science Officer at Invaio. "This will further enhance Invaio's AI discovery platform, enabling us to speed new biological actives into the hands of growers, and making Invaio's the most advanced bioactive discovery platform and pipeline in the industry." 

Peptyde Bio was launched by the Danforth Technology Company (DTC), a subsidiary of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center that facilitates early-stage development of startup companies based on technologies developed by Danforth Center scientists. Peptyde Bio was founded in 2022 based on antimicrobial peptide technology developed over 20 years by Danforth Center scientists Dilip Shah, PhD and Kirk Czymmek, PhD. 

"One of the principal purposes of the Danforth Center and DTC is to quickly bring emerging technologies developed at the Center to the market," said Tom Laurita, PhD, CEO of Danforth Technology Company. "This acquisition by Invaio is the first exit for a DTC company and proves that our strategy is working."   

"Peptyde Bio has created a large pipeline of peptides with novel modes of action. We are looking forward to integrating our technology into the Invaio discovery engine and delivery platform," said Czymmek, PhD, CTO of Peptyde Bio. 

About Invaio

Invaio Sciences, founded by Flagship Pioneering, is a bio platform company accelerating the leap to nature-positive agriculture. The company builds on advances in human health and digital innovation to develop biological technologies for crop health, enabling farmers to both improve yields and use more natural crop health solutions. Invaio is addressing consumer demands and unlocking radical benefits for farmers and the environment, leaving every acre better today and for generations to come. 

About Peptyde Bio

Peptyde Bio is an Agtech startup that discovers, designs, and characterizes novel anti-microbial peptides. These peptides can complement or replace chemical fungicides because they are effective, environmentally friendly, and have lower cost of development compared to traditional fungicides. Peptyde Bio was launched by the Danforth Technology Company, a subsidiary of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center that facilitates early-stage development of startup companies based on technologies developed by Danforth Center scientists.