END Points News: Virtually unknown mRNA upstart rides SPAC to Nasdaq

GreenLight Biosciences will reverse merge its way to the public market, netting the biotech a roughly $1.5 billion valuation. END Points News reports on GreenLight’s merger with the SPAC Environmental Impact Acquisition Corp. Read extracts below.

“We use the same types of cells that are used to make antibodies, used in fermentation process,” Zarur said. “They’re very inexpensive and commonly used. We grow them, then we harvest the raw materials. It’s no different than if planting plants and harvesting the fruits.”

Zarur added that GreenLight had never planned on stopping at agriculture, but it was the first application where the company directed its platform. He touted GreenLight’s scientific advisory panel, including famed UPenn mRNA researcher Drew Weissman, as pivotal to helping the company branch out into life sciences a couple years ago.

“When we decided to move into human healthcare, we didn’t do it blindly,” Zarur said. “We didn’t do this half-assed.”

Read the full article here.

Find out more about how GreenLight manufactures RNA here.