
The company behind Moderna has a new RNA startup looking to disrupt drugmaking. The goal? 100 new drugs in 10 years
When Flagship Pioneering propped up a small research team back in 2017 to study a little-known circular form of RNA, it wasn’t exactly a high-profile project. But with mRNA providing the blueprint, that nascent biotech thinks it may have found the goldmine of all goldmines — and it’s all founded on a quixotic little molecule dubbed “eRNA.”
Laronde, founded on science from Flagship general partner Avak Kahvejian and led by CEO-partner and former Vividion chief Diego Miralles, thinks eRNA could be the future of drugmaking, augmenting or replacing altogether standard drugs. On Monday, the biotech formally launched with a $50 million check from Flagship and some huge ambitions despite its relatively meager pocketbook.
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