Leading contract development manufacturer of nanomedicines, Ardena, has joined forces with mRNA and LNP technology specialists RiboPro to form a new strategic commercial alliance aimed at delivering improvements to the global availability of RNA-based health treatments and address a crucial skills gap in the industry.
The new alliance combines Ardena’s expertise in custom development and cGMP manufacturing of lipids and LNP-mRNA formulations with RiboPro’s proprietary portfolio of mRNA-related technologies and experience in mRNA synthesis and encapsulation.
This will offer a unique end-to-end solution for advanced mRNA and lipid nanoparticles (LNP) production, enabling drug developers to develop faster and with a substantially lower scaling and manufacturing risk. The well-matched processes of the partners also alleviates costly and time-intensive tech-transfer steps.
mRNA represents a fast-emerging class of biotherapeutics, and the potential for mRNA technology to transform global healthcare is significant. However, the global expertise and capabilities necessary to produce cGMP grade mRNA and its encapsulation in LNP are currently limited.
Ardena CEO Harry Christiaens said: “The availability of high-quality, stable, and non-immunogenic mRNA in combination with the formulation, process development, analytical development, and manufacturing capabilities of various LNP compositions is critical to achieving the desired payload, encapsulation, stability in circulation, in vivo transfection, and tissue-specific delivery.
“By having all the expertise at the same table, the quality of the new therapeutic and its development plan will be higher from the start, maximizing chances of positively impacting the patient.
“The Ardena/RiboPro alliance will be a science-led and service-strong partnership covering the entire CDMO supply chain from advanced mRNA synthesis to aseptic fill and finishing.
“In a highly competitive niche area of the mRNA/LNP market, the Ardena/RiboPro alliance aspires to differentiate itself from the competition through its fully integrated, highly customer-centric approach. The combination of a state-of-the-art proprietary portfolio of mRNA and LNP technologies with over a decade of nanomedicine development expertise offers our customers an equally unique and beneficial service resulting in accelerated drug development programs.”
“The strategic alliance with Ardena represents an exciting opportunity for RiboPro,” said Sander van Asbeck, CEO of RiboPro. “Our portfolio of proprietary technologies, and expertise in mRNA synthesis and encapsulation, combined with Ardena’s experience in process development and cGMP manufacturing, will provide our clients with a seamless pathway to advanced mRNA therapeutics with the ultimate goal of getting innovative medicines to patients sooner. Our collaboration will also help RiboPro develop a deeper understanding of customer needs and create even more advanced mRNA and LNP solutions accordingly.”
