RNA Supply Chain Articles

  1. The Cell-Free Revolution: Breaking The Plasmid DNA Bottleneck 5/20/2026

    I was excited to be given the opportunity to sit down with Jodi Barrientos, CEO, Ribbon Bio, to learn more about the current state of the synthetic DNA space. In the following Q&A, Barrientos and I discuss some of the synthetic DNA industry’s biggest goals and the challenges that stand in the way of bringing synthetic plasmids more commonly into the mRNA development paradigm. 

  2. Addressing Challenges In Serialization For Complex Therapeutics 5/7/2024

    The magnitude of serialization, especially for firms with extensive portfolios and intricate supply chains, poses serious challenges. This discussion offers solutions.

  3. 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.

  4. “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).

  5. Plasmid Production: 3 Key Takeaways For mRNA Manufacturing 4/14/2025

    Following my latest Live panel on analytical and manufacturing technology innovations for mRNA production, I wanted to provide a few high-level takeaways I gleaned from our discussion on the overlooked darling of the mRNA space: The plasmid. 

  6. 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. 

  7. Bridging The Atlantic: A European Executive's Guide To Building A Successful U.S. RNA Business (Pt. 2) 8/6/2026

    European RNA biotech leaders can accelerate U.S. success by aligning fundraising, partnerships, manufacturing, hiring, and regulatory strategy from day one.

  8. 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.

  9. What Violin Making Can Teach Us About mRNA Therapeutic Quality 8/8/2022

    Managing the mRNA supply chain and working in mRNA process development may not look anything like the work a luthier does to hew an instrument from an ancient spruce tree. But violin craftmanship actually serves as a fantastic metaphor for the challenging work the mRNA therapeutics space is tackling in sourcing and qualifying raw materials and optimizing the critical IVT reaction.

  10. Multidisciplinary mRNA: What Can We Learn From Other CGTs? 5/20/2024

    Overall, there are four high-level best practices/mindsets I proposed during a recent presentation that I believe will be crucial for us to bring some talented RNA therapeutic role models to the forefront. But there is one best practice that I think is worth emphasizing more than the others.