GreenLight Biosciences “Welcome to the GreenLight Revolution”

When our planet’s fundamental issues are biological and chemical in nature, it is crucial to focus on biological and sustainable solutions. This means that such solutions must help the farmers affordably grow crops safely and sustainably, improving the ways drugs are developed and produces, and addressing global health epidemics. Dr. Andrey J. Zarur-led GreenLight Bioscience intends to achieve this through its RNA-based innovations.

Founded in 2008 by Zarur, GreenLight Biosciences is a privately-held company that focuses on RNA-based solutions to tackle the greatest challenges of our times, including COVID-19 pandemic. The company’s GreenWorXbiomanufacturing capability makes it possible to produce high-quality RNA at commercial scale. This unique capability helps GreenLight and its partners accelerate the development of RNA-based solutions for agriculture and life sciences. “The big problems we’re thinking about at GreenLight are complex and don’t have a quick fix or silver bullet solution. Solving them requires new approaches that work with nature, not against it,” says Dr. Andrey J. Zarur, Co-Founder, President, and CEO.

The solutions by the Medford, MA-based company take a modern approach to keep the growing population from inflicting more damage to the planet’s health. The company has an impressive pipeline of RNA-based agricultural products that promise to help farmers create greener, cleaner crops by targeting a specific pest with non-toxic biocontrols, and without harming the “good” insects or leaving residues in the soil or water.

Recently, GreenLight raised $102 million in an oversubscribed round of funding from new and existing investors who showed faith in the company’s RNA products for agricultural and life sciences applications.

Faith from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is doing more for the good of the planet than probably any other organization out there today. The organization’s work has funded global work in the areas of emergency relief, education, poverty, health, and more. In 2019 alone, the foundation funded grantees in 48 states and the District of Columbia. Internationally, it funded work in a staggering 135 countries. The foundation is working intensively with organizations worldwide to tackle the greatest challenges plaguing our time. From Ebola to Malaria to ending poverty, Bill & Melinda Foundation is looking to tackle as many problems facing mankind as it can.

Currently, GreenLight Biosciences is intensively working on Sickle Cell Disease. The disease is a group of inherited blood disorders that causes pain and anemia in people. Over 4 million people have this disease. The disease primarily targets people of African, Hispanic, or Middle Eastern origin. But considering that over 40 million people have the sickle cell trait, it is a hard disease to tackle. The current treatments for the disease include blood transfusions and bone marrow transplants which are costly, invasive and impractical.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has provided a $3.3 million grant to GreenLight Biosciences to develop new mRNA-based gene therapies for Sickle Cell Disease and other health challenges. The mRNA technology is also being utilized to develop vaccine candidates for infectious diseases, including the COVID-19 pandemic. “Finding a safe and effective therapy is critical, but equally important is the ability to produce it affordably for broader access. We are grateful for the Gates Foundation’s support to advance novel gene-editing approaches for populations in which those therapies are currently out of reach,” said Marta Ortega-Valle, senior vice president of Human Health and Corporate Development at GreenLight Biosciences.

In June 2020, the company was also able to raise $17 million in a special purpose funding from new and existing investors to target the production of billions of doses of COVID-19 vaccine. This was a special effort by a special company to expand into life sciences. Dr. AndreyZarur, CEO of GreenLight, says, “Our mRNA manufacturing platform has the potential to produce any mRNA vaccine candidate at a global scale and affordable cost. It is our responsibility to rapidly establish our cGMP manufacturing process to enable broad production of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.”

The Leader Upfront

Dr. Andrey J. Zarur, Co-Founder, President, and CEO

A successful and experienced founder, chairman and CEO, he has an impressive track record in Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Entrepreneurship. He is also the founder of Lumicell, Inc.  He also co-founded Solid Biosciences. Before founding Greenlight, he was serving Kodiak Venture Partners as its Managing Partner.

He holds a masters and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and undergraduate degrees from the National University of Mexico. Andrey is the author of several peer-reviewed articles and holds over 100 provisional and issued patents.

“From public health crises to sustainable food production for a growing population, our dedicated scientists and partners are imagining and developing new solutions that work with nature, not against it.”

“Today, our focus is on creating RNA-based products can be used to more naturally and safely solve healthcare and agricultural issues – with the potential to impact an even broader range of industries in time.”

“Our GreenWorX platform uses a clean, cell-free RNA production process, and can provide the agriculture industry with targeted biocontrols that attack destructive pests without any impact to crops.”