Constructive Bio has been featured in The Observer (UK)

As the global market for GLP-1 agonists expands, driven by the increasing demand for obesity and metabolic treatments, focus is shifting to the environmental and industrial costs of their manufacturing processes.

In a detailed piece for The Observer UK, climate editor Jeevan Vasagar explores how we at Constructive Bio have developed a manufacturing process that is cleaner, more sustainable, and potentially more cost-effective for producing GLP-1 peptides.

Today, GLP-1 inspired peptides are produced through solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). SPPS is a chemistry intensive industrial process that relies on large quantities of hazardous organic solvents. Although this technology is established and widely utilised across various industries, not solely for GLP-1 peptides, it creates enormous amounts of toxic waste that must be incinerated rather than safely disposed of in a less harmful way. As global demand increases and environmental regulations become more stringent, this manufacturing method becomes harder to justify both economically and environmentally.

Constructive Bio visiting CPI to explore scale-up of its sustainable, biological route to GLP-1 manufacturing, supported by Innovate UK funding.

At Constructive Bio, we provide a groundbreaking biomanufacturing solution. Instead of assembling peptides step by step via chemical synthesis, we engineer living cells to produce GLP-1s biologically through fermentation. By rewriting the genetic code of bacteria and enabling the incorporation of novel chemistries onto peptides and proteins, traditionally only achievable through SPPS, we can significantly reduce the need for hazardous solvents, lower energy use, and minimise waste at its source.

As demand for peptide therapeutics increases, the environmental impact and harm caused by SPPS will continue to be scrutinised. Constructive Bio’s approach to biomanufacturing shows that the future of next-generation peptide medicines lies in biomanufacturing rather than purely chemical synthesis.

Read the full article here: Weight-loss jabs create expanding problem of toxic waste