GenScript Expands Range of Reagent Services, Adding Circular RNA and Lipid Nanoparticles Formulation

PISCATAWAY, NJ — September 18, 2023: GenScript Biotech Corporation, the world’s leading provider of life-science research tools and services, has expanded its IVT mRNA synthesis portfolio with the addition of customized circular RNA (circRNA) and lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) formulation services. These new contract-manufactured reagent services are available immediately as part of GenScript’s commitment to provide cutting-edge reagents that advance research in fields such as vaccine development, protein replacement therapies, and gene and cell therapy.

“Leveraging GenScript's cutting-edge gene synthesis technology and proprietary codon optimization algorithm, we are proud to offer the industry’s first optimized, high-quality custom circRNA synthesis service for use in crucial preclinical applications. For researchers in the RNA drug field, expedited delivery of these latest RNA formats at high quality is essential, and we’re seeing more demand for their use in drug and vaccine development,” said Cedric Wu, VP of the innovation center at GenScript USA. “GenScript is already well known for its one-stop IVT mRNA production, and with circRNA and LNP added to our portfolio, GenScript now offers the most comprehensive range of RNA formats. Scientists who also require LNP formulation for RNA therapeutics development can place a single order to eliminate the time and effort associated with managing multiple vendors.”

Circular RNA (or circRNA) is a type of single-stranded RNA which, unlike linear RNA, forms a covalently closed loop. Circular RNA supports the development of a novel class of RNA therapeutics with several advantages over traditional linear mRNA, including its higher stability and slower degradation, and that it allows for achieving the desirable therapeutic protein levels with a lower dosage.

Current applications of circRNAs include as the next generation of mRNA therapeutics for protein or antibody expression, as a more stable form of noncoding RNA sponge for modulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, as an alternate CRISPR component expression strategy, and as carriers for drug delivery. Customized circRNA synthesis by GenScript is available now for 100bp – 4 Kb insert sequences with delivery in only 3 weeks.

In addition to providing various formats of IVT RNA, GenScript has also considered the challenges related to delivery and has launched a comprehensive solution to facilitate faster delivery. Lipid nanoparticles are natural or synthetic spherical vehicles for delivering drugs or other therapeutic agents. LNPs have become increasingly important for nucleic-acid-based drug delivery due to their ability to protect its payload from degradation in blood circulation and improve their bioavailability, as well as to target specific cells or tissues, allowing for more precise delivery of drugs.

Key features of the lipid nanoparticles available from GenScript include high transfection efficiency in immune cells and high gene editing efficiency in cells. GenScript offers LNP formulation for both mRNA and circular RNA, and GenScript LNPs have been validated in vivo for both I.M. and I.V.

“Our unwavering commitment to innovation and excellence is what drives us to provide researchers and scientists with a comprehensive turnkey solution for their custom mRNA and circular RNA requirements. We also offer scientific support to guide our customers from sequence design to vial delivery,” added Ray Chen, Ph.D., president of GenScript Life Science Group.