RNA-based therapies have sometimes been described as programmable medicines, so perhaps it’s not too surprising that a biotech company would adapt techniques and processes from the tech industry to develop and manufacture messenger RNA drugs. Nutcracker Therapeutics, a biotech company whose approach to mRNA medicines borrows from the semiconductor industry, has raised $167 million to develop its drug pipeline and refine its manufacturing technology.
Emeryville, California-based Nutcracker says its RNA manufacturing technology combines biochemistry with hardware and software to make its mRNA therapies on single-use, semiconductor-like “biochips.” The company notes that mRNA is not inherently bioavailable, meaning there are limitations to how these molecules are absorbed and used by the body. Therapies based on mRNA require delivery vehicles to get them to their destinations. Nutcracker says its has developed a library of proprietary delivery vehicle compositions. The company also has proprietary processes for mixing and formulating mRNA and delivery vehicles to yield its mRNA medicines.
The Nutcracker system is enclosed and automated, running a manufacturing process that is controlled by software. The company also says its technology can scale up as a therapy makes progress, enabling manufacturing from the discovery stage all the way through clinical testing and commercialization. The company also says its technology can potentially reduce the costs and cycle times of RNA therapeutic development.
Nutcracker has not disclosed any details about its drug pipeline, other than to say that it is developing treatments for cancer.
“The recent success of the mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 has brought newfound energy around the use of RNA as a therapeutic tool,” Igor Khandros, co-founder and CEO of Nutcracker Therapeutics, said in a prepared statement. “As a consequence, we have an unparalleled opportunity to bring this emerging class of medicines to treat patients suffering from very complex diseases.”
The Series C round of funding announced Monday was led by ARCH Venture Partners. Nutcracker last raised money in 2020, a $60 million Series B round of funding that was also led by ARCH.
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