A new research facility in Singapore will use automation, machine learning, and other innovative technologies to develop more efficient manufacturing processes to support the growing mRNA sector.
The mRNA “BioFoundry,” which opened this month at the A*STAR Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI), is part of an effort to strengthen Singapore’s position in nucleic acid therapeutics according to Boon Tong Koh, PhD, executive director, Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Initiative (NATi).
“The NATi mRNA BioFoundry is Asia’s first-of-its-kind, non-GMP facility dedicated to nucleic acid therapeutics. It provides a scalable, automated platform supporting early-stage research and preclinical development.
“The facility includes advanced technologies for producing purified mRNA from DNA with minimal human intervention and encapsulating mRNA into lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) with integrated purification, delivering sterile formulations for preclinical applications,” he tells GEN.
The facility will be available to both public sector and private sector industry scientists who are interested in advancing mRNA research, development, and manufacturing, Boon says.
Manufacturing innovation
The idea of using mRNA to treat or prevent disease has been around since the early 90s. However, it was the 2020 pandemic—and the success of Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty and Moderna’s Spikevax vaccines—that established the value of such products.
In the years since, biopharmaceutical sector interest in mRNA has grown. According to McKinsey, mRNA-based products—along with cell and gene therapies—now represent 21% of the industry’s development pipeline, up from 11% in 2019.
The surge in interest has also spurred innovation in mRNA production technologies and methods according to Boon, who said the BioFoundry will leverage partnerships established by its host organization to ensure it has access to cutting-edge systems.
“The BioFoundry stays current with mRNA technologies through A*STAR’s research and partnerships with the Wellcome Leap R3 network and other global collaborators, with plans to integrate AI and machine learning for enhanced mRNA design and analytics,” he says.
The Wellcome Leap R3 program, which is part-funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), aims to develop technologies and innovations to realize “RNA’s potential in new vaccines and therapeutic applications.”
The new BioFoundry, with its focus on automation, fits with this aim, according to Wellcome Leap R3 program director, Duccio Medini, PhD.
“Automated processes allow for prompt scaling of mRNA production, ensuring a steady supply for preclinical research and clinical trials.”
“This is a critical step in a partnership that will benefit from further technology developments toward a multi-scale, fully automated, continuous flow GMP manufacturing platform,” Medini said in a press statement.
