Micropep Technologies, a French American agtech company, has introduced Krisalix™, a research platform designed to accelerate the discovery of peptide-based crop protectants. The system combines biological, chemical, and production data with machine learning to streamline what has historically been a slow research process.
"With Krisalix™, we can go from a biological challenge to a viable molecule in months, not years," said Mikael Courbot, Chief Technical Officer at Micropep. "It's a powerful accelerator, not only for our internal development pipeline but also for our partners."
The platform works by computationally generating and testing millions of potential peptide sequences to identify candidates that are stable, effective, and biocompatible. This approach reduces reliance on traditional laboratory screening, lowering both costs and time required to bring new compounds to market.
Validating the Approach
Micropep's first product from the platform, MPD-01, is a biofungicide designed to combat major fungal diseases including Asian soybean rust, mildews, and late blight. The product is currently undergoing field trials across Europe, the United States, and Latin America.
Over 10 additional peptide-based candidates are progressing through the Krisalix™ pipeline, targeting both broad-acre and specialty crops.
The timing is significant. Global crop losses to pests and diseases cost farmers roughly $220 billion annually, according to research from FAO, while chemical-dependent solutions face increasing regulatory and environmental scrutiny. Peptide-based bioprotectants represent a genuinely novel class of alternatives—but developing them has remained expensive and slow.
Opening Access to Partners
Rather than keeping Krisalix™ proprietary, Micropep is offering access through collaborative agreements. The company recently signed a commercial research agreement with Corteva Agriscience, one of the world's largest agricultural companies.
"This commercial agreement underscores Micropep's commitment to collaborative research and our ambition to position Krisalix™ as a reference platform in agricultural R&D," said Georg Goeres, CEO of Micropep.
