The Danforth Technology Co. (DTC), a subsidiary launched earlier this year by the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to create startups from its campus, has established its first company.
It has launched Peptyde Bio, a startup founded by a pair of Danforth Center researchers and focused on developing natural fungicides that can protect crops from disease.
Co-founded by Danforth Center Principal Investigators Dilip Shah and Kirk Czymmek, Peptyde says it is focused on discovering and designing novel antimicrobial peptides, which are proteins that plants naturally produce and that protect them from diseases. Peptyde plans to partner with agricultural businesses that will be able to use its peptides to commercialize new fungicides that can serve as alternatives to chemical pesticides products. READ MORE