RNA Supply Chain Articles

1. mRNA Vaccines: Key Considerations For Development & Manufacturing 4/4/2022

   As we wind down National Immunization Awareness Month, this article looks at the complexities around developing and manufacturing mRNA vaccines and how you should address those complexities. Topics include delivery, process validation, long-term effectiveness, GMP, regulatory approval, and more. 

2. Moderna & The Global mRNA Supply Chain: Regulatory Lessons Learned 3/29/2023

   One of the most important reminders I took away from Moderna’s experiences ushering its mRNA vaccine onto the global market is that a commercial manufacturing process must also be accompanied by a commercially ready supply chain. Though sufficient physical volumes of each raw material and a redundant supplier network are necessities, physical scale is not the only “CQA” for which we must account when commercializing our supply chain. 

3. "Mirror, Mirror…": Reflections On Reducing mRNA Production COGS 4/21/2025

   Here, I outline three overarching words of wisdom I gleaned from Life Edit Therapeutics’ April Sena; Tune Therapeutics’ Tyler Goodwin; and University of Sheffield’s Adi on how the mRNA/RNA industry can better control production costs — particularly as it relates to raw material sourcing and usage.  

4. Therapeutic Oligonucleotides: Regulations & Quality Standards 5/20/2022

   Oligonucleotides have surfaced in the past few years as promising therapeutic agents to treat diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders, respiratory disorders, cancer, and diabetic retinopathy. This article recaps a recent USP workshop where participants from regulatory agencies, industry, and academia gathered to discuss best practices and perspectives.

5. The Expanding Patent Landscape For RNA-Based Therapeutics 11/16/2022

   The COVID-19 pandemic thrust RNA-based therapeutics into the spotlight. Before that, only a handful had received regulatory approval. Why are RNA-based therapeutics seeing more patent activity now and how should biotech companies mitigate patent risks? Attorneys from Neal Gerber Eisenberg share their insights.

6. ARW's ATMP Manufacturing Must-Reads (2024 NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS EDITION!) 1/12/2024

   Day-in and day-out, I write, read, listen to, and watch as much content as I can about CGT and RNA therapy manufacturing, in particular, and/or other ATMP industry-related topics that you should at least be aware of in the manufacturing facility. Once a month, I compile the articles and industry updates I think are most worthy of your time into an unconventional newsletter format (below) and send them out via email.

7. 4 Risk Mitigation Strategies For mRNA Production 4/17/2023

   Planning and procuring custom materials needed to manufacture mRNA remains a top concern. This article shares risk mitigation strategies for multi-sourcing, S&OP process, packaging size, and material expiry.

8. “Holy T7 Polymerase, Batman!”: R&D Considerations For More Awe-Inspiring xRNA 4/24/2024

   It goes without saying we have some pretty ambitious therapeutic goals for linear mRNA and next-gen saRNA and circRNA. However, as my conversation with Koeris explored, we still have a lot of scientific and technical work/innovation ahead of us to make our RNA products “stronger” (in more ways than one).

9. How Can We Move RNA Forward In Our Therapeutics Arsenal? 7/18/2022

   RNA technologies, including mRNA therapeutics, have emerged as a promising drug modality. However, they have unique challenges. BioPhorum has dedicated a team to investigate these challenges and this Q&A shares their practical considerations for how to move this field forward.

10. The RNA Therapeutics Supply Chain: A Platform of Relationships 2/13/2024

    Conversations digging into RNA-specific sourcing considerations have been few and far between. Enter Sanofi's Greg Troiano. Together, we delved into the nuances, challenges, and opportunities for growth that currently exist within the mRNA drug substance and drug product (i.e., mRNA-LNP) raw material sourcing worlds.