About Us
Dr Jonathan Ryves

Dr Jonathan Ryves

Company Director


Dr William Jonathan Ryves is the Director of the Cupid Peptide Company limited. He graduated from Edinburgh and gained his PhD in Biochemistry from UCL, London. He has over 25 years’ experience in Protein Biochemistry and Molecular Biology working in UCL and Cardiff University, leading to over 40 peer-reviewed scientific publications (ResearchGate profile).


He first published in the field of cell permeating peptides in 2006 and, experiencing at first hand the  power of this technology, has focused on developing its practical application since then (1-4)


1) Cupid, a cell permeable peptide derived from amoeba, capable of delivering Gfp into a diverse range of species

Daniel fenton, Dylan phillips, Anne Maddison, Christopher H. George, Jonathan Ryves & Huw D. Jones

Sci Rep 10, 13725 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70532-x


2) Phosphorylation of the actin binding protein Drebrin at S647 is regulated by neuronal activity and PTEN. Kreis P, Hendricusdottir R, Kay L, Papageorgiou IE, van Diepen M, Mack T, Ryves J, Harwood A, Leslie NR, Kann O, Parsons M, Eickholt BJ. PLoS One. 2013 Aug 5;8(8):e71957. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0071957. Print 2013.


3) A systematic investigation of the protein kinases involved in NMDA receptor-dependent LTD: evidence for a role of GSK-3 but not other serine/threonine kinases. Peineau S, Nicolas CS, Bortolotto ZA, Bhat RV, Ryves WJ, Harwood AJ, Dournaud P, Fitzjohn SM, Collingridge GL. Mol Brain. 2009 Jul 7;2:22. doi: 10.1186/1756-6606-2-22.


4) Use of a penetratin-linked peptide in Dictyostelium. Ryves WJ and Harwood AJ. Mol Biotechnol. 2006 Jun;33(2):123-32.

Andrew Speirs

Business Partner


Andrew Speirs is a specialist in corporate development with over 25 years’ experience in advising a wide variety of companies, shareholders and governments across the world in fund raising, M&A, debt financing and corporate reorganisation.  He spent 15 years at Deutsche Bank, based in London and Frankfurt and over 10 years at Hawkpoint in London.

A long term associate of Dr WJ Ryves, Andrew is a founding investor in Cupid and has assisted him in developing the business side of Cupid Peptides.