Messenger RNA-based therapies won’t be very effective if they’re not delivered to the right tissues. To make matters worse, off-target delivery can lead to adverse effects. Kernal Biologics’ technology can engineer an mRNA therapy only where it’s needed. Cancer is a major focus for Kernal, and the biotech startup has raised $25 million to advance its lead program into clinical testing.
This A round The financing announced Thursday was led by Hummingbird Ventures.
Cambridge, Mass.-based Kernal says its approach begins by mining datasets to identify targetable parts of the genetic code that are unique to different cell types. These identifiable signatures are then inserted into company-designed mRNAs. Kernal mRNA therapy is delivered via lipid nanoparticles (LNPs).
LNPs are one of the delivery vehicles for gene drugs. Such particles are part of BioNTech and Moderna’s mRNA Covid-19 vaccine, for example. The problem is that LNP prefers to go to the liver. Its approach uses proprietary LNPs that don’t accumulate in the organ, Kernal said. Kernel therapy can be designed for specific locations, such as the lungs or brain. Kernal describes its approach as “mRNA 2.0.”
Like mRNA vaccines, core therapies allow cells to produce therapeutic proteins. The difference between “traditional mRNA” technology for mRNA vaccines and mRNA 2.0 is that Kernal’s technology enables the specific expression of therapeutic proteins in cancer cells. According to the company, this approach widens the therapeutic window, the range of doses at which a drug can be effective with minimal side effects.
“Our proprietary mRNA technology is engineered to move covertly, undetected by the immune system, and encrypted to target cancer cells with unique tumor selectivity,” Kernal said in its funding announcement.
The new financing will be used to further develop Kernal’s technology. The company also plans to advance its lead immuno-oncology candidate, KR-335, into an Investigational New Drug Application. Kernal has yet to disclose the cancer target of its lead drug.
Kernal’s technology can be applied to other diseases, in fact, the startup has developed a mRNA-based Covid-19 drugsThe company has been focused on cancer, but it also licenses its technology to pharmaceutical and biotech companies for non-oncology applications. The partners are undisclosed, but Kernal said proceeds from the alliances help fund the company’s internal growth plans.
Kernal isn’t the only company targeting the liver for LNP therapy. ReCode Therapeutics has its own technology to design therapies that carry a wide range of genetic payloads to various tissue types in the bodyThe Palo Alto, California-based startup initially focused on developing treatments for lung diseases. last week, ReCode raises $120 million to explore other applications of its technology in broader disease in more parts of the body. Another startup, Strand Therapeutics, focuses on mRNA-based cancer therapies. Part of the Cambridge-based approach to biotechnology involves programming mRNA to deliver it only to specific tissues.
Regarding Kernal’s new financing, Hummingbird Ventures managing partner Firat Ileri will join the startup’s board of directors. Other investors in Kernal’s new funding round include Amgen Ventures, HBM Genomics and Civilization Ventures, as well as unnamed venture capital firms, family offices and high net worth individuals.
Image via Royalty Free, Getty Images
