Pioneering partnership combines cyanobacteria-based oral delivery with AI-driven robotics to transform how life-saving biologics reach patients
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — CyanoCapture, the innovator in cyanobacteriabased oral drug delivery, and Persist AI, the leader in AI-driven robotic pharmaceutical formulation, today 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 by Q4 2026, 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.
Cyanobacteria can grow in photoreactors. With just sunlight as an input, engineered bacteria are the ideal, scalable, source of future human drugs
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 healthfoods 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.
“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.”
— David Kim, CEO of CyanoCapture
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.
“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.”
— Karthik Raman, CEO of Persist AI
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.
“At Cartography, we don’t just write checks. We’re architecting ecosystems where the world’s leading innovators can accelerate each other’s breakthroughs and deliberately cultivating a community of the smartest founders solving humanity’s hardest problems in deep tech infrastructure. This partnership between CyanoCapture and Persist AI exemplifies that approach: bringing together two transformative founders and technologies to create an entirely new category of oral biologics manufacturing. The potential to produce these therapies at clinical scale, with AI-driven robotics that ensures speed and precision, is a breakthrough that patients and pharma partners have been waiting for. It’s exactly the kind of ecosystem-driven value creation our limited partners are investing in with Cartography.”
— Ben Stein, General Partner at Cartography VenturesAbout CyanoCapture
CyanoCapture is pioneering photosynthetic biomanufacturing using proprietary cyanobacteria strains to produce proteins, peptides, and therapeutic nanocages. The company’s patented platform enables sustainable, scalable production of complex biologics including enzymes, growth factors, and drug delivery vehicles.
For more information, visit www.cyanocapture.comAbout Persist AI
Persist AI is transforming pharmaceutical formulation development through its AI-driven robotic platform. The company’s robotic systems perform formulation experiments faster than manual laboratories, and analyze them in a GMP setting with lower sample-to-sample variation, while using a fraction of the materials. This enables pharmaceutical companies to identify, optimize, and scale up formulations rapidly. Backed by Spero Ventures, Eli Lilly & Company, MBX Capital, 2048 Ventures, Innospark, Y Combinator, and others, Persist AI is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area.
For more information, visit www.persist-ai.com
SOURCE Persist AI Formulations
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