Gensaic Advances AI-Powered Protein Shuttles for Targeted RNA Delivery

Gensaic, a company founded by MIT alumni Lavi Erisson, Uyanga Tsedev, and Jonathan Hsu, is actively developing an artificial intelligence-powered discovery engine. This innovative platform is designed to create protein shuttles capable of precisely delivering therapeutic molecules, such as RNA, to specific tissues and cells throughout the body. The company's primary focus is on advanced treatments for metabolic diseases and various other conditions.

Technology Overview

Targeted Delivery via FORGE

Gensaic's delivery technology, when combined with therapies that control gene expression like RNA interference (RNAi) and small activating RNA (saRNA), aims to significantly improve health outcomes and disease treatment.

"RNA is a safe and specific clinical-grade commodity, and Gensaic's targeting and delivery method could change the therapeutic landscape." — Lavi Erisson

The company employs a method known as unbiased directed evolution to identify optimal protein scaffolding for reaching target tissues. This sophisticated process, termed FORGE (Functional Optimization by Recursive Genetic Evolution), involves screening an extensive array of proteins to pinpoint those most effective at reaching specific cells. While initially focused on gene therapies, Gensaic has since shifted its efforts to delivering molecules such as siRNA and RNAi, which have historically been challenging to deliver outside the liver. To date, the company has screened over 500 billion distinct proteins using both phage display and directed evolution.

Therapeutic Promise and Strategic Partnerships

Multifunctional Medicines for Complex Diseases

Gensaic's delivery vehicles possess the unique ability to carry multiple RNA molecules into cells simultaneously, providing novel tools for both disease treatment and prevention. The FORGE platform supports the development of multifunctional medicines, which are capable of influencing complex disease system biology with a single molecule by combining proteins with multi-tissue selectivity and multiple therapeutic modalities.

The company has successfully identified capabilities to target specific tissues, including the brain, skeletal tissue, and adipose (fat) tissue. The ability to deliver to adipose tissue, in particular, stands out as a unique protein-based delivery mechanism. This precise targeting could address a range of conditions, such as weight management, muscle retention, fatty liver disease, and osteoporosis.

Focus on Metabolic Indications and Collaborations

Gensaic is actively pursuing multiplexed medicines, with a significant emphasis on metabolic indications that necessitate targeting two disease pathways concurrently or unique tissue combinations. Last year, the company announced a key collaboration with Novo Nordisk, specifically targeting cardiometabolic diseases. This partnership includes potential payments of up to $354 million per disease target. Gensaic continues to explore additional collaborations to expand its therapeutic impact.