Pun intended, my PhD came full circle here, he said.
According to Kahvejian, in those earlier days, Flagship was looking into different forms of RNA that were emerging from genomic studies, and noticed some naturally had a closed-loop structure. Yet, most of these circular RNAs didn t code for proteins, which got Flagship thinking about how to coax the cell to read them like it reads messenger RNA, Kahvejian said.
To do this, Kahvejian said his team took inspiration from how viruses trick cells into translating their genetic code. The result is synthetic, circular pieces of RNA that function like perpetual motion machines, according to Kahvejian.
Flagship Pioneering has unveiled Laronde: a platform company developing Endless RNA. Endless RNA is a novel, engineered form of RNA that can be programmed to express therapeutic proteins inside the body: ‘a groundbreaking therapeutic platform capable of biological applications we could only dream of a few years ago,’ according to the founders.
Biotech incubator Flagship has initially committed $50m to support the platform’s initial pipeline of new medicines, and expects to hire more than 200 people over the next two years.
Flagship also founded mRNA company Moderna in 2010. It now sets out a ‘bold vision’ for Laronde: aiming for 100 new eRNA medicines over the next 10 years. The new tech’s promise is in its programmable nature, with a wide range of possible applications.