What Constructive Bio does

Constructive Bio (legal entity: Constructive Biology Limited) is a Cambridge, UK-based synthetic biology company spun out of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in 2021 by Professor Jason Chin FRS. The company has built a proprietary platform that combines whole-genome synthesis (Syn61, Syn57, CONEXER) with engineered translation machinery to incorporate non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) into peptides and proteins at site-specific positions. Its flagship commercial offering, BioForge, is a fermentation platform that uses genetically recoded organisms (GROs) to manufacture peptide therapeutics — including DPPIV-resistant GLP-1 agonists and candidates for liver fibrosis and cardiometabolic disease — as a scalable, sustainable alternative to solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). The IP base is anchored by exclusive licenses from MRC LMB, most recently including the tRNA Display technology licensed in June 2025.

The company's commercial model is B2B and enterprise-oriented, targeting large and mid-size pharmaceutical companies as the primary segment and biotech / life sciences companies as a secondary segment. Go-to-market is executed through direct field sales and strategic partnerships rather than self-serve or consumer channels. Named collaborations include RxCelerate (biologic therapeutic candidates, announced November 2025), the Ellison Institute's Generative Biology Institute (programmable biology, October 2025), Camena Bioscience and the Max-Planck Institute (ARIA-funded synthetic chloroplast genomes, August 2025), and CPI (peptide manufacturing process development). Revenue is expected to come from three streams: platform licensing and partnerships, out-licensing or sale of proprietary biologic candidates, and fermentation-based peptide manufacturing, none of which have produced commercial revenue to date.

Constructive Bio is pre-revenue and venture-backed, having raised approximately $75M in total: a $15M seed in August 2022 led by Ahren, and a $58M Series A in September 2024 led by Ahren, OMX Ventures, and Paladin Capital Group with participation from Fine Structure Ventures, ND Capital, and Jonathan Milner. The team is approximately 30 people headquartered at the 11,000 sq ft "The Recodery" facility in Whittlesford, Cambridge. The leadership team combines scientific founders (Jason Chin as CSO), operational executives (Ola Wlodek as CEO, Solange Bullukian as CFO, Paul Wallace as CBO, Linda Ramirez-Eaves as CLO), and a board that includes Nobel Laureate Sir Gregory Winter and biopharma operator Jim Weissman. Recognition includes the 2026 Heinrich Wieland Prize, the 2025 SynBioBeta Impact Award, and inclusion as a Nature Biotechnology Editor's Pick.

Name

Constructive Bio

Legal name

Constructive Biology Limited

Website

https://constructive.bio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Constructive Bio is a Cambridge, UK synthetic biology company that rewrites genetic codes via genetically recoded organisms to manufacture peptide and protein therapeutics containing non-canonical amino acids. It serves pharmaceutical and biotech customers through its BioForge fermentation platform, platform licensing, and co-development partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Synthetic Biology / Peptide Therapeutics Manufacturing

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Synthetic Biology & Genetic Circuit Design Platforms (pathway engineering, chassis development) (HLAAAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Engineered Protein Therapeutics (de novo/AI-designed proteins, novel scaffolds) (HLAAAAAJ), Therapeutic Peptides & Protein/Peptide Biologics (HLAAAAAH), Library & Diversity Generation Platforms (display libraries, DNA-encoded libraries for biologics, variant libraries) (HLAAAIAL)

Keywords

• Synthetic genomics
• Peptide therapeutics
• Genetic code expansion
• Non-canonical amino acids
• Biologics manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Platform Licensing and Partnerships: Revenue anticipated from licensing the synthetic genomics platform and engineered translation machinery to pharmaceutical and biotech partners for drug discovery and development programs, including GLP-1 therapeutics. Partnerships structured as co-development agreements, collaboration fees, and milestone-based payments.
2. Biologic Therapeutic Candidates: Revenue generation through the development and out-licensing or sale of proprietary biologic therapeutic candidates generated using the platform, including peptides and proteins incorporating non-canonical amino acids.
3. Fermentation-Based Peptide Manufacturing: Sustainable, fermentation-based manufacturing of peptides and proteins as an alternative to traditional solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), targeting the $80B+ peptide therapeutics market.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Constructive Bio develops a synthetic genomics platform that uses genetically recoded organisms (notably Syn61, the world's first fully synthetic recoded genome) and engineered translation machinery to incorporate non-canonical amino acids into peptides and proteins. Its flagship offering, BioForge, is a fermentation-based manufacturing platform that produces peptide and protein therapeutics at industrial scale as a sustainable alternative to chemical solid-phase peptide synthesis, with co-development partnerships and platform licensing for pharmaceutical and biotech customers.

Product overview

Constructive Bio operates as a platform company built on two integrated technology pillars: Synthetic Genomics (whole-genome synthesis and recoding) and Engineered Translation (non-canonical amino acid incorporation). The flagship product is BioForge, a fermentation platform that manufactures peptide therapeutics with non-canonical amino acids using proprietary recoded organisms. The platform is underpinned by foundational technologies including Syn61 (the world's first fully synthetic recoded genome) and tRNA Display technology. A Partner Portal provides existing partners with project management and document access tools. Together, these products enable the biological production of peptides, proteins, macrocycles, and non-protein polymers with chemistries that natural biology cannot access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BioForge Proprietary fermentation platform that uses engineered organisms with recoded genomes to manufacture peptide therapeutics containing non-canonical amino acids at industrial scale through biological fermentation rather than chemical synthesis. Sold/licensed to pharmaceutical partners.
• Synthetic Genomics Platform Platform for whole-genome synthesis enabling assembly of large DNA segments exceeding 200 kb with verified sequence accuracy and creation of megabase-scale custom DNA in E. coli, forming the foundation for creating recoded organisms used by pharmaceutical and biotech partners.
• Engineered Translation Platform Platform for engineered protein translation that incorporates non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) into peptides and proteins by reprogramming the genetic code of cells, creating biofactories for novel biopolymers. Provided to pharmaceutical and biotech partners for therapeutic development.
• tRNA Display Technology Exclusively licensed technology from MRC LMB enabling rapid and accurate selection of enzymes (tRNA synthetases) for integrating non-canonical amino acids into peptides and proteins, overcoming a major barrier in protein engineering. Used by Constructive Bio and its partners for therapeutic candidate discovery.
• Partner Portal Secure partner access portal providing real-time project status and milestone tracking, document library with reports and agreements, and direct support from dedicated project teams. Provided to pharmaceutical and biotech partners engaged in co-development programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Platform enables exploration of hundreds of millions of non-canonical amino acid-containing peptide and protein variants for therapeutic discovery.
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• RxCeleratecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 November 2025Strategic partnership with RxCelerate, a specialized biologics contract research organization, for the advancement of biologic therapeutic candidates. RxCelerate provides integrated discovery and preclinical development services, supporting Constructive Bio's pipeline of non-canonical amino acid-containing peptide and protein therapeutics.
• Ellison Institute's Generative Biology Institute (GBI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Collaboration with the Ellison Institute's Generative Biology Institute, a leading academic center focused on applying generative and synthetic biology approaches to biomedical research. The partnership leverages combined expertise in synthetic genomics and generative biology for novel therapeutic discovery.
• Camena BiosciencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025AR
• Max-Planck InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Three-party ARIA-funded collaboration between Constructive Bio, Camena Bioscience, and the Max-Planck Institute focused on advancing synthetic genomics and genome synthesis technologies. The partnership combines Constructive Bio's synthetic recoded genome platform, Camena Bioscience's DNA synthesis capabilities, and the Max-Planck Institute's research expertise.
• CPI (Centre for Process Innovation)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CPI, a UK-based technology innovation center, funded by Innovate UK, focused on developing and advancing peptide manufacturing processes. The collaboration supports Constructive Bio's fermentation-based manufacturing capabilities as a sustainable alternative to traditional solid-phase peptide synthesis.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Sutro Biopharma: Sutro operates a cell-free protein synthesis platform that incorporates non-canonical amino acids for site-specific conjugation of ADCs and other therapeutics. It is the closest direct peer to Constructive Bio in ncAA-incorporating biologic platforms targeting pharma partners, though Sutro uses a cell-free system rather than recoded organisms.
• Codexis: Codexis engineers proteins (notably enzymes and biotherapeutics) using directed evolution and platform approaches sold into pharma and industrial biotech customers. It is comparable to Constructive Bio as a protein-engineering platform company monetized through licensing and partnerships, with a similar B2B enterprise model.
• Synaffix (Lonza): Synaffix licenses site-specific ADC conjugation chemistries, including approaches based on non-canonical amino acid incorporation, and was acquired by Lonza. Its licensing-and-platform model for ncAA-enabled biologics is closely analogous to Constructive Bio's anticipated licensing/partnership motion in the ADC and bioconjugate space.

Broad incumbents

• Ambrx: Ambrx pioneered site-specific incorporation of non-canonical amino acids into proteins for ADCs and other biologics and was acquired by Johnson & Johnson. As the most clinically advanced ncAA-biologics platform, it is the benchmark Constructive Bio must beat on clinical and commercial proof points, even though Ambrx is now embedded in a much larger pharma.
• Ginkgo Bioworks: Ginkgo is a large, publicly listed synthetic biology platform company offering organism engineering services across pharma, agriculture, and industrial biotech. It is a broader incumbent comparable to Constructive Bio on the 'engineered organism as a service' axis, though its scope and capital base are far larger.
• Twist Bioscience: Twist provides high-throughput DNA synthesis that underpins synthetic biology workflows. Constructive Bio's CONEXER genome synthesis platform competes with and depends on suppliers like Twist; the two are comparable as DNA/gene synthesis infrastructure providers serving biotech customers.

Emerging players

• Generate Biomedicines: Generate applies generative AI and machine learning to design novel protein therapeutics, sitting at the intersection of computational biology and biologics discovery. It is comparable to Constructive Bio as an emerging platform company creating new therapeutic proteins, but with an AI-driven rather than genome-recoding approach.
• Cradle Bio: Cradle uses AI/ML to engineer proteins and biologics, offering a software-and-services platform for protein design. It overlaps with Constructive Bio on the 'novel therapeutic protein design' axis but does not compete on the fermentation/ncAA manufacturing layer.
• Camena Bioscience: Camena is a DNA synthesis company and an actual ARIA-funded collaboration partner of Constructive Bio. It is a relevant emerging peer because both companies operate at the synthetic DNA / genome synthesis infrastructure layer feeding into engineered organisms.

Regional players

• Crinetics Pharmaceuticals: Crinetics is a US-based clinical-stage peptide therapeutics company focused on endocrine and metabolic diseases including GLP-1-related targets. While not a platform peer, it is relevant as a downstream comparability point for the peptide therapeutic indications Constructive Bio's BioForge is targeting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/constructive-bio

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors9 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Constructive Bio