$2 million grant builds on research to develop sequence elements that improve DNA- and RNA-based medicine efficacy
Primrose Bio, Inc., a company with proprietary biologic manufacturing technologies, today announced a $2 million, 24-month Direct-to-Phase II Small Business Innovation Research award from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The project will develop synthetic noncoding sequence elements designed to increase and prolong protein expression from DNA- and RNA-based medicines.
Primrose Bio will use its proprietary ultra-high-throughput platform to screen billions of sequences, validate in cell models and apply proprietary AI-design optimization to create licensable sequence elements for DNA- and RNA-based medicines. The project is led by Patrik Engström, Ph.D., and builds upon foundational research into sequence design elements that significantly improved protein expression.
“This award builds on Primrose Bio’s track record of bringing enabling technologies into commercial use,” said Drew Burch, Chief Executive Officer of Primrose Bio. “It expands the sequence-based tools we can offer partners to improve the performance of genetic medicines.”
“Noncoding sequences are critical control points for protein expression,” said Patrik Engström, Ph.D., Principal Investigator and Principal Scientist at Primrose Bio. “Our platform can evaluate billions of candidates and identify those with the greatest potential. This funding will help us optimize and validate them for therapeutic use.”
The project is titled “Enhanced nucleic acid therapeutics: synthetic sequence elements for boosting protein expression in genetic medicines.” The NIH award number is 1R44TR006096-01.
About Primrose Bio, Inc.
Primrose Bio was established in 2023 from the merger of Primordial Genetics, Inc. and Ligand Pharmaceuticals’ Pfenex Expression Technology® platform and PeliCRM197® carrier protein franchise. This combination brings together Primordial’s Prima RNApols™ and Function Generator™ platforms to enhance the development and manufacturability of complex protein- and nucleic acid-based products for human and animal health, vaccines, and non-pharmaceutical uses. Top pharmaceutical companies, including Merck, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Serum Institute of India, and Alvogen, use these technologies in their approved products. Additional clients include Arcellx, Arcturus, and a host of other well known players. For more details, visit www.primrosebio.com.
NIH FUNDING ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Research mentioned in this press release was supported by NCATS of NIH under Award Number 1R44TR006096. Of the currently awarded project costs, 100% is financed with federal funds and 0% is financed by nongovernmental sources. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIH.
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