Micropep boosts leadership team with industry veteran in regulatory science

Date:06-08-2023

Micropep Technologies (Micropep), the global leader in micropeptide technology, announced the appointment of Dr. Kevin Leiner as its new Head of Regulatory and Head of Development Americas. Dr. Leiner, a seasoned expert in regulatory science, will lead Micropep's efforts to secure market authorizations for its innovative natural micropeptide-based crop protection products.

Dr. Leiner holds a Ph.D. in Zoology from Texas A&M University and has over twenty years of diverse industry experience, including working in pharmaceutical biotechnology, agricultural biotechnology, and contract research organizations. Before joining Micropep, he worked at Syngenta, supporting the safety assessment and registration of new synthetic and biological crop protection active ingredients and products and genetically modified varieties of food and feed crops.

In his new role, Dr. Leiner will spearhead Micropep's global regulatory strategy and oversee product development activities in North and South America. As part of this, he will drive the tactical activities to generate the data required to secure product registrations in key market countries, focusing on the United States, the European Union, and Brazil.

"The appointment of Dr. Leiner strengthens our commitment to obtaining regulatory approvals and successfully introducing our novel micropeptide-based crop protection products to the market," said Thomas Laurent, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Micropep. "He will play a pivotal role in our mission to revolutionize agriculture with effective, naturally-derived products."

To accommodate the projected world population of 10 billion in 2050, food production must increase by 70% to ensure global food security. There has never been a more urgent need for affordable and sustainable agricultural solutions. Micropep is poised to address this demand as it advances its first biofungicide project in the development phase, offering a safer and more efficient alternative to conventional crop protection.

"New naturally-derived approaches are critical to addressing the current and future challenges we face, particularly the need to produce food efficiently and sustainably with reduced impact under ever more challenging environmental conditions. Micropeptides have the potential to revolutionize crop protection and improve yield and quality by modulating gene expression in a targeted manner to help plants better respond to biotic and abiotic stressors," said Dr. Leiner.

"As many new products and technologies don't neatly fit into existing regulatory frameworks, I am excited by the challenge and opportunity to collaborate with stakeholders and regulatory agencies to help share this innovation globally with growers who will experience the environmental and societal benefits from the deployment of modern, efficacious, and safer agricultural technologies."

Micropep's dedication to innovation, sustainability, and collaboration has positioned the company at the forefront of developing next-generation crop protection tools. Dr. Leiner's appointment marks a significant milestone in Micropep's ongoing efforts to help farmers worldwide adapt to the impact of climate change and ensure food security while preserving the environment.