BEIJING, CHINA, OCTOBER 12, 2017: Thermo Fisher Scientific sign; Thermo Fisher Scientific is a company founded in 2006, has approximately 65,000 employees and is in the industry of laboratory equipment | Image Credit: © Eagle - stock.adobe.com
Announced June 13, 2025, a new collaboration between Ethris and Thermo Fisher Scientific aims to accelerate the path from early-stage research to clinical development for messenger RNA (mRNA)-based therapeutics (1). By combining Ethris’ proprietary RNA technology platforms with Thermo Fisher’s end-to-end current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) capabilities, the partnership targets a more efficient, scalable, and globally accessible approach to mRNA drug production, according to a news release from Ethris.
The collaboration integrates Ethris’ core technologies—including its Stabilized Non-Immunogenic mRNA (SNIM RNA), minimal untranslated regions, and tailored mRNA production techniques—with Thermo Fisher’s established infrastructure for large-scale, regulatory-compliant biomanufacturing.
“Thermo Fisher Scientific has a long-standing track record of supporting the development of advanced therapies,” said Carsten Rudolph, PhD, CEO of Ethris (1). “By combining our clinically validated mRNA platforms with Thermo Fisher’s manufacturing expertise, we are creating a powerful offering for biopharma partners. This collaboration addresses the increasing demand for scalable, high-quality mRNA technologies and enables us to serve a broader set of collaborators worldwide.”
The agreement is meant to support biopharmaceutical companies aiming to rapidly progress mRNA therapeutics from discovery through to early clinical evaluation (1). Ethris’s SNIM RNA platform is in clinical development and has shown promising early results. In a Phase I trial, the lead candidate, ETH47, demonstrated localized, dose-dependent protein production after nasal administration, with no detectable systemic bioavailability. This translated into downstream activation of signaling pathways by interferon lambda, confirming the functional activity of the protein. Because SNIM RNA is designed to avoid triggering an immune response, it allows for repeated administration, a critical feature for chronic or long-term treatments. This opens the door for its use in protein replacement, disease-modifying therapies, and vaccines, via multiple delivery routes.
“Thermo Fisher is committed to supporting the rapid translation of breakthrough therapies into clinical application,” said Ben Castro, vice president and general manager of Large Molecule, Drug Substance at Thermo Fisher Scientific (1). “By partnering with Ethris, we are expanding our services to include cutting-edge mRNA manufacturing, empowering our customers to bring life-changing treatments to patients faster and more efficiently.”
By facilitating the expression of therapeutic proteins without triggering systemic immune activation, SNIM RNA offers a flexible foundation for a broad range of mRNA-based drugs (1). With manufacturing support from Thermo Fisher, the companies hope to remove common production bottlenecks that slow drug development timelines. The partnership also includes ongoing optimization of Ethris’ RNA and delivery technologies, enhancing their application for both therapeutic and prophylactic indications across respiratory and other disease areas.
This collaboration reflects the broader trend in the pharmaceutical technology sector of aligning specialized platform innovation with industrial manufacturing capabilities to bring complex biologics to market more rapidly and reliably.
The news of Thermo Fisher and Ethris collaborating comes just three weeks after Mirai Bio announced that the company had entered into a strategic collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific aimed at advancing the development and manufacturing of nucleic acid therapeutics (2). That agreement also is meant to bring together Thermo Fisher’s development and CGMP capabilities with Mirai’s technology platform for the design and optimization of genetic medicines.
The Mirai–Thermo Fisher collaboration will initially focus on leveraging Thermo Fisher’s RNA and advanced formulations facility to support the industrialization of Mirai’s development candidates, according to the release (1). In addition to technical collaboration, the agreement includes a direct investment into Mirai as part of the broader partnership between Thermo Fisher and Flagship Pioneering, Mirai’s founding organization.
References
Ethris GmbH. Ethris Signs Strategic Collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific to Provide Access to mRNA Technology Platforms. Press Release. June 13, 2025.
Cole, C. Mirai Bio and Thermo Fisher Partner to Advance Genetic Medicine Manufacturing. BioPharmInternational.com, June 2, 2025.
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