DNA Script Wins ARPA-H Award to Advance DNA Manufacturing

DNA Script, in collaboration with GE HealthCare, has been awarded up to $26 million in funding for a four-year initiative from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The award will support the advancement of the Flexible Automation for Scalable Health (FLASH) program, focused on the development of scalable cell-free DNA bioproduction capabilities and powered in part by DNA Script’s enzymatic DNA synthesis (EDS) technology and SYNTAX^® platform.

Led by GE HealthCare, the FLASH program aims to develop a modular, automated platform for the rapid, distributed manufacturing of high-fidelity DNA to support research and potential future applications in personalized medicines, vaccines, and other genetic health technologies. DNA Script’s EDS technology supports this goal by enabling faster and more flexible DNA manufacturing workflows.

DNA Script, which is contributing its EDS technology and acting as the technical solution integrator for the project, says the company has adapted its solution to incorporate GE HealthCare’s proprietary DNA scaling technology, complementing DNA Script’s EDS technology, with the goal of eventually deploying the integrated platform across U.S. medical research centers, universities, and federal agencies.

“ARPA-H solutions are designed to address hard problems with bold, practical approaches,” says John Schiel, program manager, ARPA-H. “Projects like FLASH exemplify how scalable, platform-based technologies can transform the way health solutions are developed, produced, and delivered.”

“Our enzymatic DNA synthesis platform is ideally suited for the on-demand manufacturing model FLASH is pioneering,” adds Marc Montserrat, CEO, DNA Script. “Collaborating with GE HealthCare on an ARPA-H program of this scale shortens the path from research bench to patient bedside for next-generation therapies, personalized vaccines, and the broader genetic-medicine pipeline.”

“As personalized and time-sensitive genetic medicines continue to advance, there is a growing need for manufacturing approaches that are faster, more flexible, and more accessible,” notes John Nelson, senior bioscience principal and FLASH program lead, GE HealthCare’s Technology and Innovation Center. “Our vision for the FLASH program is to develop new DNA-based medicines on demand quickly, safely, and at scale.”

The FLASH program has been designed to bring together expertise in automation, DNA synthesis and scaling, purification, and genomic validation.

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