RNA Synthesis

Every cell stores a kind of blueprint, the genetic material. It consists of long chain molecules called DNA. But the cell doesn’t work directly with this original. It copies individual sections and turns them into short working copies. These copies consist of RNA, a very similarly structured chain molecule. Producing such copies is called RNA synthesis. You can observe it inside a cell or deliberately replicate it in the lab in a reaction vessel.

From lab technique to billion-dollar market

For a long time, RNA synthesis was purely a research topic. That changed with the Corona vaccines from BioNTech and Moderna. These vaccines don’t contain viruses, but artificially produced RNA. It provides the body with a blueprint for a single viral protein. The immune system practices on it and later recognizes the actual virus.

Economically, this is interesting because the process is interchangeable. The manufacturing process stays nearly the same, only the letter sequence of the RNA changes. A new vaccine is therefore more of a software update than a new product. This exact promise explains the high valuations of many biotech stocks. It also explains why companies are now working on RNA cancer therapies tailored to individual patients.

On top of that, there’s a connection to AI. Which RNA sequence works well is computationally hard to predict. Models that predict molecular structures are meant to shorten this search. That’s why RNA companies and AI companies now often appear in the same partnership announcements.

How the chain is built block by block

RNA consists of four different building blocks. They’re abbreviated with the letters A, C, G, and U. The order of these letters is the actual information. During synthesis, the chain is extended block by block, always at the same end. A protein called polymerase does this work.

Inside the cell, the polymerase reads a DNA section and inserts the matching RNA building blocks. This process is called transcription, meaning a copy. In the lab, it works similarly, just without a cell. You put a DNA template, the four building blocks, and a polymerase into a vessel with a saline solution. After a few hours at about 37 degrees, billions of copies of the desired RNA are ready.

A common misconception is that RNA is simply short DNA. Chemically, the two differ slightly, and this has consequences. RNA is significantly more unstable and breaks down quickly. That’s why mRNA vaccines had to be stored deep-frozen and packaged in tiny fat droplets. This packaging is often technically more difficult than the synthesis itself.

RNA in the news, in portfolios, and in refrigerators

RNA synthesis is most visible at the pharmacy. Every dose of an mRNA vaccine is a product of this process. PCR tests are also related, since they amplify and detect sections of genetic material. In agriculture, RNA-based agents against pests are being tested.

In business news, you usually encounter the term indirectly. It typically comes up in the context of production capacities, patent disputes, or supply contracts with governments. Suppliers are also a topic, for instance manufacturers of the necessary enzymes and building blocks. They earn money regardless of which vaccine ultimately prevails.

As a reader, a simple distinction is worthwhile. RNA synthesis is the established technique that works reliably. What remains uncertain, however, is which diseases can actually be treated with it. Reports on study results are therefore more important than reports on new factories.