Pharmaceutical Business review

Sanofi and ScionxBio partner on mRNA therapies

The agreement combines the work of Sanofi’s mRNA Center of Excellence with ScionxBio’s computational platform. Credit: Formatoriginal / Shutterstock.com.

Under the arrangement, the companies will create extended-exposure formulations of selected mRNA candidates from Sanofi by applying ScionxBio’s TERA technology.

The partnership divides research and clinical duties between both organisations. ScionxBio will direct optimisation programmes through to in vivo validation.

Following this phase, Sanofi will assume responsibility for all subsequent preclinical research, investigational new drug (IND)-enabling evaluations, clinical trials, manufacturing, and global commercialisation.

ScionxBio CEO Dr Adi Gilboa-Geffen said: “This collaboration with Sanofi is a defining milestone for our company. It validates the revolutionary potential of our AI-driven TERA platform to overcome the historical limitations of mRNA durability.

“Partnering with a global powerhouse like Sanofi ensures that our innovations in therapeutic RNA reach patients with life-altering protein deficiencies and chronic conditions more rapidly than ever before.

“I am also deeply grateful to the entire team, whose contributions were instrumental in bringing this collaboration to fruition.”

The agreement combines the work of Sanofi’s mRNA Center of Excellence with the TERA platform. The discovery system uses deep learning models to assess structure-activity relationships from high-throughput combinatorial screens.

By incorporating chemically synthesised regulatory components, the engineered molecules are designed to resist enzymatic breakdown more effectively than conventional mRNA, supporting sustained protein expression in vivo.

While specific disease targets were not disclosed, the research focuses on conditions that require sustained protein expression, spanning both inherited and acquired protein deficiencies.

The platform is also intended to generate sustained exposure to cardiometabolic or immune corrective modulators for potential preventive or disease-modifying applications.

ScionxBio is a privately held, preclinical-stage biotechnology company operating as a brand identity of Eleven Therapeutics following a horizontal corporate split.

In June 2026, Sanofi entered a multi-year agreement with France-based agentic AI company Owkin to co-develop next-generation AI-driven biopharma agents.