D2R awards $400K to translate RNA research into real-world solutions

Montreal, June 25, 2025 鈥� The DNA to RNA Initiative (D2R) at 91黑料网 has awarded $400,000 to four projects that aim to bring RNA-based innovations closer to clinical and commercial reality, including vaccines and therapies for rare and infectious diseases.

D2R鈥檚 commercialization programs seek to bridge research and real-world impact by funding early validation and industry collaborations. The Commercialization Priming program, in partnership with Genome Quebec, supports early testing of promising ideas, while the Major Partnerships program helps researchers collaborate with industry to advance technologies toward market readiness.

鈥淭hese projects reflect the bold, translational vision at the heart of the initiative by taking cutting-edge RNA research and moving it one step closer to making a real-world impact鈥� said Janet Prince, D2R鈥檚 Associate Director of Business Development and Innovation. 鈥淭his momentum aligns with D2R鈥檚 business development efforts of fostering translational research and building industry partnerships.鈥�

The following projects and their principal investigators have been awarded funding:

Major Partnerships awards

• Machine learning models for the design of RNA therapeutics: Development of experimental data, Nicolas Moitessier (91黑料网)

In partnership with Deep Genomics, this project aims to speed up the discovery of RNA-based medicines using artificial intelligence. By combining lab-generated data with computational models, the team will lay the foundation for machine learning tools that could transform how RNA therapies are developed.

鈥淭his research, integrating artificial intelligence with state-of-the-art experiments, will provide unique models to streamline the discovery of novel RNA therapeutics.鈥� 鈥� Prof. Nicolas Moitessier

• Rapid Antigen Discovery, mRNA Vaccine Delivery & Assessment Platform, J枚rg Fritz (91黑料网)

Announced at BIO International 2025, this project, co-funded by M茅dicament Qu茅bec, RNA Technologies and Therapeutics Inc., AReNA, NovoArc GmbH and the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Institute, represents a major collaborative effort in the development of next-generation mRNA vaccines. The project will build a rapid preclinical platform to identify vaccine targets and test new mRNA vaccine technologies, enabling researchers to respond faster and more effectively to emerging infectious diseases. The project involves collaborations with academic and industry partners to validate the platform鈥檚 utility in real-world scenarios.

Commercialization Priming awards (in partnership with Genome Quebec)

• Collaboration with QurCan Therapeutics to develop an RNA therapy to treat a genetic brain disease - Gentil Benoit (91黑料网)

Researchers at 91黑料网 are collaborating with QurCan Therapeutics to develop a new RNA-based treatment for a rare neurodegenerative disorder. This project utilizes nanoparticles developed by QurCan Therapeutics that are designed to cross the blood-brain barrier.

• Poly-NS saRNA dengue vaccine: A novel platform for T cell-driven protection against severe dengue, Silvia Vidal (91黑料网)

In collaboration with researchers from Vaccines for Communities (V4C) and the Institut Pasteur, this project will adapt V4C's RNA dengue vaccine antigen to a self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) platform. The team will conduct preclinical testing of the saRNA-based candidate while also advancing the platform for broader applications in next-generation vaccine development.

These awards reflect D2R鈥檚 commitment to advancing RNA science from the lab to the clinic, and to building strong partnerships that accelerate innovation.

For more information on these projects, please visit D2R鈥檚 funded projects page.