EnPlusOne Unveils RNA Synthesis Breakthrough to Power New Medicines

WATERTOWN, MA – May 12, 2026 – As the promise of RNA-based medicine surges, the industry has grappled with a critical bottleneck: manufacturing. Now, Watertown-based EnPlusOne Biosciences is stepping into the spotlight, announcing significant advancements to its enzymatic synthesis platform that could fundamentally reshape how next-generation therapeutics are made. The company is showcasing its progress this week at two of Boston’s premier biotechnology conferences, TIDES USA and the American Society of Cell and Gene Therapy (ASCGT) annual meeting.

The announcements center on EnPlusOne’s proprietary ezRNA™ platform, a technology designed to overcome the long-standing limitations of traditional chemical RNA synthesis. By improving efficiency, purity, and scale, and—most critically—enabling the use of novel chemical building blocks, the company aims to unlock a wider universe of potential RNA drugs.

“RNA-driven therapeutics are expected to become the fastest growing modality within all therapeutics in the next decade,” stated EnPlusOne CEO Clare Murray, PhD, in a press release. This rapid expansion, she noted, is moving the field from treating rare diseases to addressing widespread conditions, creating a massive demand that requires a paradigm shift in production. “This will drive even more significant demand for RNA worldwide, a rapidly growing need that can only be addressed by new approaches like EnPlusOne’s first fully enzymatic RNA synthesis platform.”

Overcoming the Manufacturing Bottleneck

The meteoric rise of RNA therapeutics, catalyzed by the success of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, has placed immense pressure on manufacturing infrastructure. The global RNA therapeutics market is projected to swell from over $13 billion in 2024 to more than $40 billion by 2030, a trajectory that current production methods struggle to support.

For decades, the industry standard has been phosphoramidite chemistry, a stepwise chemical process developed in the 1980s. While foundational, this method is fraught with challenges. It relies on harsh organic solvents, generating significant hazardous waste. Furthermore, its efficiency decreases as the length of the RNA strand increases, making the large-scale, cost-effective production of long or complex RNA molecules a formidable hurdle. These limitations have effectively constrained the scope and speed of RNA drug development.

EnPlusOne’s ezRNA™ platform offers a starkly different, “green chemistry” approach. By using enzymes in a water-based system, it sidesteps the need for harsh solvents and protective chemical groups. This sustainable method not only reduces the environmental impact but also promises greater scalability and purity, avoiding the cumulative yield loss that plagues its chemical counterpart.

A New Era of 'Chemical Space' for RNA Drugs

Perhaps the most significant advancement highlighted by EnPlusOne is the ability to expand the “chemical space” available to drug developers. The company announced that its platform now allows for the incorporation of a therapeutically important modification that is inaccessible using conventional phosphoramidite chemistry.

This capability is a potential game-changer. Chemical modifications are essential for turning fragile RNA molecules into viable drugs. They can enhance stability by protecting the RNA from being rapidly degraded in the body, reduce the risk of an unwanted immune response, and help guide the therapeutic to its target tissue. The limitations of chemical synthesis have restricted the palette of modifications that scientists could use.

At the TIDES USA conference, Lead of RNA Synthesis Ella Meyer is set to present on this very topic in a talk titled, “Pushing the Efficiency and Scale of Enzymatic RNA Synthesis.” Her presentation is expected to detail how the ezRNA™ platform achieves this feat, opening the door for scientists to design more potent, safer, and highly targeted RNA medicines that were previously impossible to manufacture.

By enabling novel molecular architectures, enzymatic synthesis allows researchers to explore new mechanisms of action and tackle diseases in innovative ways. This expansion of design possibilities is crucial for realizing the full potential of RNA to treat a vast array of conditions, from genetic disorders to cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Setting New Standards for Purity and Scale

Beyond novel chemistry, EnPlusOne is emphasizing its platform's ability to deliver on the core manufacturing requirements of purity and scale. The company reports that recent advancements have led to improved cycle yields and enhanced control over the purity profile of the final product.

In traditional synthesis, the accumulation of errors and truncated sequences can lead to an impure mixture that requires extensive and costly purification. By leveraging the precision of enzymes, the ezRNA™ platform aims to produce a much cleaner product from the outset, streamlining the path from synthesis to clinical use.

“From our base here in Boston, we will show attendees how EnPlusOne is driving this critical field and establishing the standards for purity and reliability of enzymatic synthesis,” Dr. Murray stated. This focus on quality control is paramount as more RNA therapeutics advance through clinical trials and toward commercial approval.

This message is being carried to the scientific community through multiple channels. At the ASCGT meeting, Scientist Amanda Ames will present a poster detailing milestones achieved on the template-independent synthesis of therapeutic RNA, reinforcing the platform's technical capabilities. The company’s team is present at both events, signaling a concerted effort to engage with potential partners and collaborators who are eager for solutions to their manufacturing challenges.

To further this engagement, EnPlusOne recently launched a new website to demystify its complex science. “Educating a wider range of audiences about what we are doing at EnPlusOne is so important in enabling us to attain our goals,” Murray noted, highlighting the site’s role in explaining how the company is tackling the industry's biggest challenges.

As the RNA revolution continues to accelerate, the underlying manufacturing technology is emerging as a key determinant of success. With its focus on sustainability, scalability, and novel chemistry, EnPlusOne Biosciences is positioning itself not just as a technology provider, but as a critical enabler for the future of medicine.