CyanoCapture to build world's first robotic GMP facility for oral peptides with Persist AI

25 February 2026

CyanoCapture, the innovator in cyanobacteria-based oral drug delivery, and Persist AI, the leader in AI-driven robotic pharmaceutical formulation, have announced a strategic collaboration to jointly build a next-generation GMP manufacturing facility in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The facility, expected to be operational later this year, will be the first of its kind to combine cyanobacteria culture and processing with robotic automation for clinical-scale production of novel oral protein and peptide therapeutics.

The collaboration addresses one of the pharmaceutical industry's most persistent challenges: delivering proteins and peptides orally rather than through injection.

CyanoCapture's proprietary platform uses the world's fastest-growing cyanobacterial cell line and protein nanocages called carboxysomes to encase and deliver biologics, potentially eliminating the need for daily injections that burden millions of patients worldwide.

Cyanobacteria, such as spirulina, are naturally rich in bioactive compounds, peptides and antioxidants - making them some of the most popular health foods today. Every cell contains the genetic data for making these compounds, written in DNA. CyanoCapture rewrites the DNA of these fast-growing photosynthetic cells - making it possible to programme these cells into producing large amounts of popular peptides and therapeutic molecules, according to the user's design.

David Kim, CEO of Cyanocapture, said:

"Our vision is to turn the world's most powerful photosynthetic cell into a platform for scalable drug production that could one day be in every city. Partnering with Persist AI gives us the robotic precision and AI-driven optimization needed to bring oral biologics from the lab to patients faster than ever before."

The joint GMP facility will leverage Persist AI's robotic systems for formulation development, clinical trial material production, and analytical testing. AI will orchestrate scheduling, workflow tracking, and process optimization throughout the manufacturing pipeline. This represents the first robotic facility designed specifically for cyanobacteria culture, processing, and encapsulation at clinical scale.

Karthik Raman, CEO of Persist AI, said:

"This partnership represents a convergence of two transformative technologies. Our robotic Cloud Lab already develops formulations 30 times faster than traditional methods. By combining this with CyanoCapture's breakthrough oral delivery platform, we're not just accelerating drug development, we're reimagining how biologics can be manufactured and delivered to patients who deserve better options than needles."

The facility will produce clinical trial materials for multiple therapeutic programs, with initial focus on converting injectable biologics into oral formulations. Early research and process development will be enhanced by machine learning models trained on Persist AI's extensive formulation datasets.

www.cyanocapture.com

www.persist-ai.com

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CyanoCapture to build world's first robotic GMP facility for oral peptides with Persist AI