Strategies To Reduce mRNA Manufacturing Costs

mRNA manufacturing costs are one of the most pressing challenges facing bioprocess teams working to scale therapeutic and vaccine pipelines. The raw materials alone, including cap analog, DNA template, and RNA polymerase, can account for the majority of your cost of goods, leaving little room for margin without careful process optimization. So what happens when you systematically reduce the concentration of each of these critical inputs?

Primrose Bio evaluated reduced concentrations of all three key IVT components and measured the impact on both mRNA yield and capping efficiency. The data shows that not all enzymes respond equally to reduced template loads. When DNA template concentration was cut in half, from 8 nanomolar to 4 nanomolar, ExtendCapAU retained yields within 10% of standard conditions, while T7 and mutant T7 polymerases showed significantly greater losses. Cap analog, which can represent close to 50% of total reaction costs, was also evaluated for reduction potential without compromising capping efficiency.

These findings give your team a concrete, data-backed framework for identifying where cost reductions are achievable and where they carry risk. Watch the full presentation to learn more.