RNA-based therapies are sometimes described as programmable drugs, so it’s perhaps no surprise that biotech companies are adopting tech industry techniques and processes to develop and manufacture messenger RNA drugs. Nutcracker Therapeutics is a biotechnology company whose approach to mRNA drugs borrows from the semiconductor industry, Raised $167 million Develop its drug pipeline and improve its manufacturing technology.
Emeryville, Calif.-based Nutcracker says its RNA-manufacturing technology combines biochemistry with hardware and software to deliver mRNA therapeutics on disposable, semiconductor-like “biochips.” The company notes that mRNA itself is not bioavailable, meaning there are limitations to how these molecules can be absorbed and used by the body. mRNA-based therapies require delivery vehicles to transport them to their destination. The Nutcracker says it has developed a proprietary combination library of delivery vehicles. The company also has a proprietary process for mixing and formulating mRNA and delivery vehicles to produce its mRNA medicines.
The Nutcracker subsystem is closed and automated, running a software-controlled manufacturing process. The company also says its technology can be scaled up as treatments progress, enabling manufacturing from the discovery stage all the way through clinical testing and commercialization. The company also said its technology could potentially reduce the cost and cycle time of RNA therapeutic development.
The Nutcracker did not disclose any details about its drug pipeline, other than to say that it is developing treatments for cancer.
“The recent success of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines has brought new energy to the use of RNA as a therapeutic tool,” Igor Khandros, co-founder and CEO of Nutcracker Therapeutics, said in a prepared statement. “As a result, we have There is an unparalleled opportunity to bring this class of emerging drugs to the treatment of patients with very complex diseases.”
The Series C round, announced Monday, was led by ARCH Venture Partners. The Nutcracker last raised funding in 2020, $60 million in Series B financing Funding led by ARCH.
Photos by Flickr users Tool Dude 8mm through Creative Commons license
