ARISE
Advanced platform for saRNA production at Industrial Scale in Eucaryotes
ARISE has received funding from the Horizon-European Innovation Council (EIC)-Transition program under grant agreement No 101287605.
ARISE is driven by a unique consortium gathering TRON, a leading German non-profit research institute created by the founders of BioNTech, and bYoRNA, a French company pioneering therapeutic mRNA production using recombinant yeast. The leadership team combines TRON’s world-class RNA engineering expertise particularly in replicating RNA, with bYoRNA’s deep know-how in therapeutic protein and mRNA industrial production.
ARISE is an EU funded project under the Horizon Europe Program, resulting from the Yscript project.
Vision & Mission
Building the next generation of RNA biomanufacturing — affordable, scalable, and accessible to all.
Overcoming the barriers to mRNA medicine
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The ARISE consortium has set out to develop a tailor-made yeast-based platform for the large-scale, cost-effective manufacturing of mRNA and self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) therapeutics. Messenger RNA vaccines have become a game-changer in the fight against COVID-19, and mRNA is now considered the basis for a vast array of therapeutic applications — from cancer immunotherapy to rare genetic diseases.
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Today, mRNA production depends on in vitro transcription (IVT), a cell-free, enzyme- and nucleotide-intensive process that is complex, expensive, and challenging to scale. This bottleneck is particularly critical for clinical applications—such as infectious diseases, immunotherapies, and gene editing—which demand either large doses or important volumes and longer RNA sequences. To unlock the full potential of mRNA technologies, there is a pressing need for cost-effective, scalable manufacturing solutions capable of supporting diverse mRNA types, including self-amplifying RNA (saRNA), an advanced form of mRNA that amplifies the therapeutic protein expression and reduces dosing requirements. 
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ARISE addresses this challenge by harnessing the natural ability of yeast to produce mature mRNA — structurally similar to human mRNA — in fast-growing, industrially proven fermentation systems. By engineering controlled production and protective subcellular storage, ARISE will unlock truly scalable, affordable RNA biomanufacturing.​
From
YSCRIPT to ARISE
ARISE builds directly on the scientific foundations established by the YSCRIPT project (EIC Pathfinder), which demonstrated the feasibility of yeast-based mRNA production. As an EIC Transition project, ARISE takes the next critical step: validating the technology at scale, extending it to self-amplifying RNA, and preparing it for industrial deployment.
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By lowering costs and enabling true large-scale production, ARISE will remove a major barrier to the development and equitable distribution of mRNA medicines worldwide - supporting public health preparedness and innovation in advanced therapies.