Peptides are a very attractive and promising class of biomolecules combining high specificity and activity, low toxicity and unique characteristics. Previously mainly applied in oncology, the peptide market has broadened and nowadays peptides are considered in various fields – for example metabolic diseases, obesity, as antimicrobials, surfactants or bio-glues. The global market is continuously growing and reached 14 billion US $ in 2014, considering only therapeutic peptides. Above 70 therapeutic peptides are currently on the market and a tremendous progress in this field is ongoing reflected by 270 peptides in the clinical and 400 peptides in the preclinical phase of development.
Despite the obvious demand,
major challenges are limiting the sustainable growth of the peptide market. A
major challenge is the manufacturing process of peptides, especially in large
scales. Currently, more than 90 % of peptides are produced by chemical synthesis
(solid-phase or solution-phase peptide synthesis). Suitable for many peptides
up to 30 amino acids, these techniques are challenged with the production of
long, hydrophobic or repetitive peptides. Moreover, they are rather expensive,
difficult to up-scale and generate huge amounts of chemical waste.
In contrast, the bio-based, recombinant production of peptides is currently very
restricted and no suitable platform-technologies exist. Here, the major limitations
are 1. the expression of peptides per se,
2. the intrinsic instability of peptides directing them to proteolytic
degradation and 3. the tendency of peptides to form insoluble aggregates.
Here, we present new bio-based approaches for the efficient production of peptides. These technologies tackle limitations of chemical synthesis and allow the recombinant production of peptides in high yields and in a cost-efficient and an organic way.