{"id":197128,"date":"2022-11-08T10:33:39","date_gmt":"2022-11-08T10:33:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clarivate.com\/?p=197128"},"modified":"2024-12-16T10:24:32","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T10:24:32","slug":"seven-rna-technology-companies-to-keep-an-eye-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clarivate.com\/life-sciences-healthcare\/blog\/seven-rna-technology-companies-to-keep-an-eye-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven RNA technology companies to keep an eye on"},"content":{"rendered":"

RNA therapeutics <\/span>is helping treat previously ‘undruggable’ diseases. Here are seven RNA companies to watch.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Having done the seemingly impossible and crashed out mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in under a year\u2019s time, Pfizer\/BioNTech and Moderna are now chasing a new disease target: cancer.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

BioNTech founders, Ozlem Tureci and Ugur Sahin, made headlines last month when they <\/span>told the BBC<\/span><\/a> that an mRNA cancer vaccine could hit the market before the decade is out.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel that a cure for cancer or to changing cancer patients\u2019 lives is in our grasp,\u201d Tureci said in the BBC interview.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, <\/span>Merck has extended a partnership with Pfizer\/BioNTech rival Moderna<\/span><\/a>, aimed at co-developing and commercializing an mRNA vaccine\/Keytruda<\/span>\u00ae<\/span> combination for the treatment of aggressive melanoma. Moderna recently <\/span>initiated a patent lawsuit<\/span><\/a> against Pfizer and BioNTech, claiming the companies stole components of their mRNA technology (an allegation Pfizer and BioNTech forcefully deny).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond these household names there is an entire world of innovator companies \u2013 plucky startups and well-resourced large pharmas alike \u2013 looking to leverage this emerging technology to treat and even cure a wide variety of diseases.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

RNA therapeutics actually burst onto the scene prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the <\/span>FDA approval<\/span><\/a> of Ionis\/Biogen\u2019s SPINRAZA\u00ae, for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, in 2016. In addition to that drug, Alnylam<\/span>\u00ae<\/span> Pharmaceuticals has had four FDA approvals of RNA therapies for rare diseases. The success of these treatments against previously\u00a0 \u2019undruggable\u2019\u00a0 disease targets has given hope to patients and clinicians \u2013 and generated intense interest among potential investors and pharmas seeking points of entry into the space through acquisitions and partnerships (in fact, the total value of deals involving these companies was just shy of $18 billion last year, per <\/span>BioWorld<\/span><\/a>\u2122<\/span> data).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With any emerging therapeutic platform or modality, it can be hard to see the forest for the trees, the many bootstrapping biotechs working on different approaches and applications, often at very early stages, as well as the larger ecosystem of investors, partners and research centers supporting their work. To better understand the field and identify some promising innovators, Clarivate analysts pored over data on clinical trials and market approvals, deal valuations, patent filings and scientific publications in the space to identify seven <\/span>RNA Technology Companies to Watch<\/span><\/i><\/a>, including:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n