Codexis hosts KOL event on growth of RNAi therapeutics as a modality

Codexis hosted a virtual Key Opinion Leader event on Friday, December 8, 2023, to discuss the growth of RNA interference therapeutics as a modality, the manufacturing landscape and the potential role for the Company’s Enzyme-Catalyzed Oligonucleotide Synthesis platform to enable commercial-scale production of RNAi therapeutics. KOL participants included John Maraganore, PhD, Founder and Former Chief Executive Officer of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, and member of Codexis’ Strategic Advisory Board, and David Butler, PhD, Chief Technology Officer at Hongene Biotech Corporation. “As part of the pioneering team that established RNAi therapeutics as a whole new class of medicines, I am thrilled to see the field advance with six approved medicines and a large and rapidly growing number of investigational programs in clinical development,” said Dr. Maraganore. “As the RNAi therapeutics field matures, many programs are targeting prevalent disease indications, such as cardiovascular and Alzheimer’s disease. While I am confident in the potential for RNAi therapeutics to transform the treatment paradigms for millions of impacted patients, today’s manufacturing practices rely on traditional chemical synthesis methods that may not accommodate a sharp increase in demand. Accordingly, I have long felt that an enzymatic route of synthesis is a critical innovation to reduce required infrastructure investments, mitigate high volumes of hazardous waste and ensure that drug developers can effectively address the coming demand of these medicines for patients. it’s incredible to see the progress that has been made in advancing siRNA therapeutics, and traditional chemical synthesis has enabled the development and initial commercialization of this modality. However, decades of process improvements are now achieving diminishing returns, and traditional chemical synthesis remains limited by scale per batch, expensive equipment, significant purification and waste disposal costs and a negative environmental impact. A fully enzymatic approach has the potential to improve efficiencies across each of these areas while reducing the significant capital expenditure required of chemical synthesis, all of which would be compelling to the many manufacturers who are ramping up investment in their oligonucleotide production capabilities.”