Key Takeaways
- Mikael Courbot emphasizes that balancing product delivery with long-term platform development is key to scaling AgTech innovation.
- Micropep Technologies uses micropeptides—short chains of amino acids—as biological alternatives to synthetic pesticides.
- Artificial intelligence supports peptide design by modeling efficacy, stability, and cost to ensure practical field applications.
- Regional regulatory dynamics differ: Brazil leads in biocontrol adoption, while Europe’s frameworks remain under development.
- Mikael Courbot believes platform-driven strategies are essential for sustained agricultural progress.
Introducing Mikael Courbot and Micropep’s Mission
In a conversation with iGrow News, Mikael Courbot, Chief Technology Officer of Micropep Technologies, shared insights into the company’s work at the intersection of biology, data science, and sustainable crop protection. With more than 20 years of experience in plant biology, Courbot leads Micropep’s R&D on micropeptide-based agricultural solutions.
He joined Micropep over six years ago, when the company was still at an early stage. “The ability to build something meaningful from scratch and have an impact on how agriculture evolves was what attracted me,” he said. Peptides, he explained, are small proteins—five to twenty amino acids long—that act as precise biological agents against crop pests and diseases without altering genetic material.
“Everything we do at Micropep revolves around these small linear peptides,” Courbot said. This focus, he added, provides the foundation for a discovery platform capable of developing targeted biologicals for different crops and environments.
