ExPLoRNA Therapeutics receives funding to advance its novel mRNA technology

Funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will go toward understanding the benefits of novel cap analogs for therapeutic applications

WARSAW, Poland, Dec. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ExPLoRNA Therapeutics, a Polish biotech company revolutionizing mRNA vaccines and therapeutics with unprecedented translational efficiency, received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to further develop its unique mRNA technology. ExPLoRNA specializes in novel cap analogs, the starting part of mRNA that is crucial for enabling successful production of the encoded protein. ExPLoRNA's technology increases protein production beyond scale observable so far with other standard cap analogs.

Total funding received from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is $813,578 and will be used for a 14-month project. The project aims to better understand the benefits of ExPLoRNA's cap analogs, especially in terms of reducing the mRNA dose needed for therapeutic effects in the settings of vaccination and monoclonal antibody production.

The planned experiments include the use of the state-of-the-art, clinically validated lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations from Acuitas Therapeutics. Acuitas is known for its successful role in providing the LNP technology for one of the only two regulatory-approved mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines.

ExPLoRNA Therapeutics is the first Polish biotech company to receive funding from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Through this project, ExPLoRNA Therapeutics commits to its vision of making mRNA technology more accessible in low-income countries to help fight disesaes threatening human lives and well-being.

"We are grateful for the foundation's support to help us achieve our vision. With the help of this grant, we intend to speed up the development of future mRNA vaccines and therapies." – comments Jacek Jemielity, CEO of ExPLoRNA Therapeutics, and professor at the University of Warsaw.

About ExPLoRNA Therapeutics

With passion, ExPLoRNA Therapeutics (www.explorna.com) is harnessing over 20 years of cap analog research and develops ground-breaking innovations of mRNA as a therapeutic platform, applies those solutions in unique therapeutic programs, and delivers technology, therapeutic platform, and therapies to pharmaceutical Partners.

About Acuitas Therapeutics

Founded in February 2009, Vancouver-based Acuitas Therapeutics (www.acuitastx.com) is a private biotechnology company that specializes in the development of delivery systems for nucleic acid therapeutics based on lipid nanoparticles. The team works with partners to develop new therapies to address unmet clinical needs based on its internationally recognized capabilities in delivery technology.

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