In the media Biospace: Why we need to develop new Covid vaccines GreenLight Biosciences features in Biospace on the need to develop new Covid vaccines. Credit: BioSpace/Meissa Vaccines Andrey Zarur, Co-founder and CEO of GreenLight Biosciences, speaks to Biospace about the need to develop new Covid vaccines and the innovations and learnings GreenLight have made along the way. Extracts from the article are below. Andrey Zarur, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of GreenLight Biosciences, acknowledged the dire nature of the virus but also stressed another aspect. “We’re a family. We need to care for one another. We have a responsibility to make technological advancements available to everyone,” he said, noting low vaccination rates throughout Africa, Eastern Europe and parts of Asia. It’s also a matter of self-preservation, he explained. “If a large portion of the global population isn’t vaccinated, people get infected. Then the virus mutates and comes back to us.”…GreenLight also is taking a newer approach, focusing on improved mRNA vaccines and more scalable manufacturing. As Zarur said of mRNA vaccines, “we’ve learned what works and doesn’t work,” and so have the opportunity to use those learnings to make mRNA vaccines “more stable, more efficient and better in general.” The mRNA vaccine being developed by GreenLight isn’t yet in clinical trials, he said.At a single dose, Zarur said, “we’re achieving titers of neutralization antibodies and activation of T cells that are comparable with data from approved vaccines.” GreenLight plans to begin a Phase I clinical study in South Africa in Q1 2022 to determine whether those results will translate to humans.For any of these vaccines to gain traction in developing regions (where refrigeration may not be reliable), temperature stability will be an issue. GreenLight is working toward that goal with several different lipid nanoparticles, some of which are stable at room or refrigerated temperatures. Read the full article here. Find out more about how GreenLight manufactures RNA here. 4 November 2021 By Patrick 0 Comments
In the media, Investors Wired: The Next Big Thing for RNA GreenLight Biosciences is featured in Wired magazine on the potential of RNA to help prevent food mold by defending against Botrytis and other pests. Credit: Wired/PAUL STAROSTA/GETTY IMAGES Mark Singleton, Head of Plant and Animal Health at GreenLight Biosciences, speaks to Wired magazine about the potential of RNA to fix moldy food by defending against Botrytis and other pests. Extracts from the article are below: “It’s the big one,” says Mark Singleton, head of plant and animal health at GreenLight Biosciences, a Massachusetts-based biotech startup working on a new generation of sprays to defend against Botrytis and other pests that bedevil farmers…GreenLight Biosciences has an RNA spray targeting the Colorado potato beetle that’s currently being evaluated by the Environmental Protection Agency. The company is expecting a decision on that spray by the middle of 2022. It’s also working on a spray for Botrytis, as well as one that combats the Varroa mite, a widespread pest that infects honey bees. After initial laboratory trials, GreenLight is now field testing its Botrytis spray on grapes in California and strawberries in Italy. Singleton says they’re looking to find out how long the spray sticks to plants and how it compares to chemical fungicides. Read the full article here. Find out more about how GreenLight manufactures RNA here. 3 November 2021 By Patrick 0 Comments
In the media, Investors The Washington Post: GreenLight plans to launch a clinical trial in Africa next year The Washington Post reports on GreenLight Biosciences’ plans to launch a clinical trial in Africa next year. The Washington Post reports on vaccines in Africa and mentions GreenLight Bioscience’s plans to launch a clinical trial in Africa next year. An extract is below: GreenLight Biosciences, a start-up company that has been making RNA for agricultural applications, is working toward making mRNA vaccines with a different manufacturing process that could be easier to scale up. GreenLight plans to launch a clinical trial in Africa next year. Read the full article here. Find out more about how GreenLight manufactures RNA here. 7 October 2021 By Patrick 0 Comments
In the media, Investors Business Insider: COVID-19 vaccines sparks expansion of RNA research Business Insider reports on GreenLight Bioscience’s plans to expand its RNA research work, including to include human therapeutics. An extract from the article is below: For instance, GreenLight Biosciences expanded its mRNA work last year from focusing on pesticide alternatives to include human therapeutics. Now, GreenLight is riding the mRNA hype to a public debut, agreeing to a $1.2 billion special-purpose acquisition company deal in August.“GreenLight aims to solve some of the world’s biggest problems with RNA, from affordable vaccines and therapies to protecting honeybees,” GreenLight CEO Andrey Zarur said in a statement, adding that clinical trials for its COVID-19 vaccine were scheduled to begin next year. Read the full article here. Find out more about how GreenLight manufactures RNA here. 7 October 2021 By Patrick 0 Comments
In the media, Investors The New York Times: Vaccines for Africa “What most of the established players really want is to keep control of their profits,” said Andrey Zarur Continue reading → 21 September 2021 By Patrick 0 Comments
In the media News10NBC: GreenLight Biosciences opens new RNA facility in Rochester Local TV station News10NBC reports on the opening of our new RNA production facility in Rochester. An extract is below. Workers say this plant- has manufactured more RNA than anywhere else on earth and this is a big step for those in manufacturing for human, animal, and plant health.“GreenLight Biosciences is at the start of something really exciting we’re using RNA to solve some of the world’s biggest problem,” GreenLight Biosciences marketing director Catie Lee said. Watch the report here. Find out more about how GreenLight manufactures RNA here. 21 September 2021 By Patrick 0 Comments
In the media, Investors Bloomberg: GreenLight Is Mass-Producing RNA to Fight Crop Pests “The company figured out how to scale production of RNA at low cost, which could change the game for agriculture” Continue reading → 21 September 2021 By Patrick 0 Comments
In the media, Investors STAT: RNA firm GreenLight Biosciences to go public in $1.2 billion deal The company said has 14 products in its pipeline, including a COVID-19 vaccine candidate, a vaccine for influenza, and a gene therapy for sickle cell disease. Continue reading → 11 August 2021 By Patrick 0 Comments
In the media END Points News: Virtually unknown mRNA upstart rides SPAC to Nasdaq GreenLight had never planned on stopping at agriculture, but it was the first application where the company directed its platform. Continue reading → 10 August 2021 By Patrick 0 Comments
In the media, Investors The Wall Street Journal: RNA Tech Firm GreenLight Biosciences to Go Public in $1.5 Billion SPAC Deal GreenLight currently has a test plant and is studying the use of its RNA-based substances targeting varroa mites that harm bee colonies and crop-destroying Colorado potato beetles. Continue reading → 10 August 2021 By Patrick 0 Comments
In the media Unherd: Why third jabs are inevitable Amin Khan, Head of Vaccines at GreenLight Biosciences, speaks to Unherd a wider piece about why third jabs are inevitable. Credit: Unherd/Amarjeet Kumar Amin Khan, Head of Vaccines at GreenLight Biosciences, speaks to Unherd about the ability to rapidly rollout new mRNA vaccines in a wider piece about why third jabs are inevitable. Extracts below: Amin Khan, head of vaccines at the biotech firm GreenLight, says that you can get a new variant-specific mRNA vaccine ready to go in a few weeks. And if the new version simply targets a slightly modified version of the spike protein, as the existing vaccines do, it won’t need much in the way of testing and regulatory approval. Changing your manufacturing system is more complicated, “but within two or three months, you can get a new variant to the market”.Playing whack-a-mole with new variants isn’t a long-term solution, though. The hope is that “third-generation” vaccines will be capable of covering all the existing variants and most foreseeable future ones. But, says Khan, that’s a bit more complicated. A more complete version might target other parts of the virus than the spike protein; that would mean a much more rigorous testing and approval regime, and it may take months longer to get such a vaccine to market. Read the full article here. Find out more about how GreenLight manufactures RNA here. 15 June 2021 By Patrick 0 Comments
In the media Science Magazine: How to vaccinate the world For about $200 million the company says it could provide a mini–vaccine plant and a “clean room” to house it. Continue reading → 28 May 2021 By Patrick 0 Comments