MRNA CMC HARMONIZATION, MANUFACTURING & ANALYTICAL TO BE DISCUSSED BY VERNAL EXPERTS AT INDUSTRY CONFERENCES

COLCHESTER, Vt., April 3, 2024 — Vernal Biosciences, a leading manufacturing and services company specializing in mRNA and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulation, today announced that two of its senior experts are to participate in important industry events in the US capital this week.

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First, Grant Henderson, Ph.D., Senior Director, Commercial & Technical Operations, will present, “Accelerating mRNA and LNP Manufacturing with Platform Analytical and Process Technologies”, at the World Vaccine Congress (WVC), on April 4 at 11:30 a.m. EDT. His talk will examine the process of transferring mRNA drug substance manufacturing and analytical technologies from drug discovery material to CGMP clinical trials supply stage. It will focus on the challenges associated with early-stage manufacturing of mRNA-based medicines, where Vernal Biosciences’ use of a platform process and analytical technologies has enabled the manufacture of high-purity mRNA drug substance for research and clinical applications.

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Vernal Biosciences will also exhibit at the show [Booth 402], and present two posters entitled:

• “mRNA Capping Technologies: Effects on Quality Attributes, Biological Effects, and Innate Immune Stimulation”
• “Novel Plasmid DNA-encoded polyA Tails for mRNA Synthesis”.  

The WVC runs from April 2 - 4, 2024, in Washington D.C., USA.

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Later on April 4, Christian Cobaugh, Ph.D., CEO & Founder of Vernal Biosciences, will participate in a panel discussion at the Alliance for mRNA Medicines (AMM) Global Summit: mRNA’s Path Forward. The panel, which runs from 1:15 – 2:15 p.m. EDT, is entitled, “Harmonization opportunities: mRNA Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls”. The AMM summit also takes place Washington D.C.

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Both engagements will consider what aspects of CMC could be streamlined under a platform approach, and what opportunities are available to align analytical, critical quality attributes, and QA/RA documentation for mRNA development to suit any target product profile.

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Christian Cobaugh has been at the cutting edge of mRNA drug discovery for over fifteen years. He has extensive experience leading teams in mRNA technology and was the first Alexion Pharmaceuticals scientist working on their partnership with Moderna Therapeutics to develop mRNA therapeutics. He has directed critical discovery, delivery, development, manufacturing, and quality control in the mRNA sector, having led mRNA R&D at Arcturus Therapeutics and Translate Bio, and he served as Vice President of Process Development and Manufacturing at Omega Therapeutics. Dr. Cobaugh holds a doctorate in cell and molecular biology from the University of Texas at Austin, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship for Applied Biosystems in Redwood City, California.

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Grant Henderson is responsible for process scale-up of pDNA, mRNA, and LNP-mRNA for CGMP activities at Vernal, where he leads manufacturing sciences. He has more than 10 years’ experience in process engineering of small and large molecule programs at Lonza Biologics and Mylan Technologies. His expertise also spans process development and regulatory filing. Dr. Henderson holds a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from the University of Connecticut and a doctorate in engineering from Dartmouth College, New Hampshire.

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For more information on the World Vaccine Congress or the Alliance for mRNA Medicines (AMM) Global Summit, visit: www.vernal.bio/company/news/events and to arrange a meeting with attending Vernal Biosciences’ executives at either of the events, contact Chris Halling at Orientation Marketing chris.halling@orientation.agency.  

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About Vernal Biosciences

Vernal Biosciences is a leading CDMO specializing in mRNA and LNP manufacturing. Vernal provides comprehensive high purity platform manufacturing solutions for mRNA-based medicines and vaccines, from research to clinical development. Our dedicated team of experts, our platform solutions, and GMP facility show our commitment to our partners, enabling them to focus on accelerating their programs to clinical development to improve patient lives.

For more information about Vernal Biosciences and its pioneering work in mRNA technologies, please visit www.vernal.bio