(Reuters) -Moderna Inc on Wednesday agreed to buy Japan-based OriCiro Genomics for $85 million to boost the U.S. drugmaker’s messenger RNA (mRNA) manufacturing capabilities.
The Japanese company is working on the development and commercialization of cell-free synthesis and amplification of a type of DNA molecule for use in mRNA manufacturing.
OriCiro’s technologies will support Moderna’s portfolio of therapeutics and vaccines, the companies said.
Moderna’s mRNA technology has been used in developing COVID-19 vaccines.
Last month, an experimental cancer vaccine from Moderna based on the technology was shown to work against melanoma, a type of skin cancer.
(Reporting by Manas Mishra and Raghav Mahobe in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)