Cambrex Expands Peptide Manufacturing Capabilities in Waltham, Massachusetts
Monday, August 25, 2025
Cambrex has expanded the peptide development and manufacturing capacity of its subsidiary, Snapdragon Chemistry, at Waltham, Massachusetts.
Snapdragon Chemistry, part of Cambrex, specialises in process development for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), using both batch and continuous flow methods. The company employs advanced automation technologies and proprietary equipment to address complex challenges in process and analytical development. Based in Waltham, Massachusetts, Snapdragon employs over 70 staff, including 31 PhD scientists, and maintains strong connections with the local scientific community.
The investment includes a new GMP manufacturing suite, which has increased the facility’s footprint by 20 per cent. The site now features an ISO-7 cleanroom for preparative HPLC chromatography and lyophilisation, cold storage for raw materials, and a dedicated storage suite for products. With these additions, Snapdragon is positioned to support peptide projects from early development through to GMP manufacturing, using solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), liquid-phase peptide synthesis (LPPS), or a combination of both approaches.
The facility has been designed to enable a structured strategy for peptide drug development. Initial stages rely on automated SPPS for proof-of-concept and early clinical material. In parallel, LPPS is used to refine processes, accelerate development timelines, and reduce manufacturing costs. Once optimised, projects can be scaled up and transferred to Cambrex’s larger manufacturing sites, such as its Charles City, Iowa facility, which operates traditional large batch reactors. This transfer significantly lowers the cost of producing peptide-based medicines for wider patient populations.
Snapdragon’s LPPS platform is particularly suited to large-scale production. Unlike SPPS, it does not depend on specialised solid-phase reactors and instead makes use of standard API batch reactors and continuous flow technology. This approach lowers solvent use and reduces the need for excess reagents compared with conventional solid-phase synthesis methods. While SPPS remains useful in early-stage development, LPPS provides a scalable alternative capable of meeting commercial supply demands.
Cambrex is continuing to strengthen its expertise in complex synthetic modalities, with a focus on peptide and oligonucleotide manufacturing.
The company is also advancing research into the use of artificial intelligence for process optimisation in oligonucleotide production.
Source: cambrex.com
