Nuritas

Based in Ireland, Nuritas is engaged in the identification of therapeutic peptides (smaller versions of proteins) using AI and genomics to discover novel peptides with potential health benefits across areas like aging, dermatology, and diabetes. Its main focus is finding food derived from natural (mostly plant) bioactive peptides that can be used in a range of products, including medical foods, pharmaceuticals, and dietary supplements. 

The company’s AI platform contains information on billions of peptides that the company has collated since its inception. Nuritas generates revenue by licensing its pipeline candidates to customers for further development and commercialization. The company has collaborated with companies such as BASF (the largest chemical producer in the world) and Nestlé to discover new natural compounds that can form the basis of new foods, drugs, and nutritional supplements. BASF intends to market one of Nuritas’ products that is aimed at reducing inflammation to various product makers, such as producers of sports bars and nutritional supplements.

As of October 2023, the company had nine products in its pipeline with two—those focused on muscle health and skin health—in the commercialized stage, while a product targeted at metabolism is in the clinical stage. Its platform has also identified a novel peptide that demonstrates activity against a multi-modal fibrosis target. 

Key customers and partnerships

Nuritas partnered with the Swiss-based Stonehaven Incubate, a company focusing on disruptive technologies on human health. The purpose of the partnership entered in July 2019 was to use the latest AI technology to discover and develop advanced animal health solutions. The initial focus of the partnership was expected to be on exploring animal feed ingredients. 

Nuritas partnered with human performance company Nutrabolt in November 2022 to launch a testosterone booster supplement named “Cellucor P6 Ultimate.” This product, targeted at men, supports healthy testosterone levels, strength, and endurance. Cellucor features Nuritas’ patented ingredient, PeptiStrong, which uses cell-signaling technology. 

Funding and financials

As of November 2023, the company's last funding round was in November 2018, where it raised EUR 30 million (~USD 33.9 million) backed by the European Investment Bank.