Plus deals involving ASLAN/Zenyaku Kogyo, AstraZeneca/Cholsegen, Astellas/Cullgen, AbCellera/Confo, Blue Water/WraSer, Solve/Cereius, Prime Medicine/Cimeio, Evox/Codiak, PharmaTher/Vitruvias and Adverum/Ray.

Belgian mRNA technologies firm Etherna, which is backed by high profile investors including former Bayer CEO Marijn Dekkers and Moderna co-founder Kenneth Chien, has reoriented its business model. Interim CEO Bernard Sagaert tells In Vivo how the firm hopes to deliver superior products for partners in the rapidly expanding RNA space.

During Q4, biopharmas brought in an aggregate $17.5bn in financing and device company fundraising totaled $1.9bn; while in vitro diagnostic firms and research tools players raised $848m.

Improvements in generating, purifying, and delivering RNA material, as well as addressing challenges with degradation by enzymes, have made the RNA class more attractive to drug developers.