Mitsubishi Gas Chemical and Cirena Reached Basic Agreement towards Exclusive Distribution Contract for Long-Chain RNA in Japan

 Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. (MGC; Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Yoshinori Isahaya) hereby announces that MGC and Cirena, Inc. (Cirena; Headquarters: Colorado, USA; Chief Executive Officer: Douglas Dellinger) have agreed to enter negotiations for an exclusive distribution contract in Japan for products based on Cirena's proprietary long-chain RNA^*1 synthesis technology that allows efficient chemical synthesis of RNA out to 300 bases plus. These long chain RNAs are particularly useful in the fast-growing gene editing field.

 In its Medium-Term Management Plan "Grow UP 2026," MGC has defined the "creation of new value through innovation" as one of the concrete initiatives under the strategy to "strengthen our business portfolio." Under this strategy, MGC has identified the "medical and food" fields as particularly important target areas and has been undertaking various efforts to this end. Among these initiatives, MGC has recognized nucleic acid as a rapidly growing segment of the pharmaceutical market. In July 2024, MGC entered into a business partnership agreement with Hokkaido System Science Co., Ltd. (HSS) to explore participation in the CDMO^*2 business for nucleic acid pharmaceuticals^*3. This new collaboration with Cirena strengthens these ongoing efforts.

 Cirena, established in October 2024, specializes in the synthesis of long-chain RNA using its proprietary synthetic chemistry and currently focuses on business development primarily within the United States. This collaboration began from the mutual alignment between Cirena, which aims to expand the international deployment of its RNA synthesis technology, and MGC, which seeks promising nucleic acid pharmaceutical technologies to enhance its nucleic acid pharmaceutical CDMO business. While the exclusive distribution contract currently under negotiation is limited to Japan, Cirena and MGC plan to jointly conduct marketing activities in other regions except for the United States and Japan.

 Under the mission of "Creating Value to Share with Society," MGC is committed to contributing to future health-centered societies by advancing the social implementation of useful technologies in collaboration with partners such as Cirena and HSS also in the "medical and food" fields.

*1 RNA (Ribonucleic Acid): RNA molecule plays an important role in creating proteins using genetic information in DNA within cells. Examples include mRNA (Messenger RNA), pre-mRNA, regulatory RNA, and long non-coding RNA.

*2 CDMO Business (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization): A business model involving contract-based development and manufacturing services primarily for pharmaceuticals.

*3 News release dated July 12, 2024: "MGC Signs Business Collaboration Agreement to Explore Entry into Nucleic Acid Drug CDMO Business"

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[About Cirena, Inc.]

 Cirena was established by founders who are internationally recognized as preeminent leaders in the development of innovative nucleic acid technologies, with over 200 patents in the field of nucleic acid chemistry. Based at the University of Colorado Biofrontiers Institute, Cirena's mission is to support the development of next-generation RNA-based medical technologies.
 For more detail, please refer to Cirena’s website.