Korro Bio Raises $91.5 Million to Advance RNA Editing Platform

Rare Daily Staff

Korro Bio said it has raised $91.5 million in a series A financing to advance its novel platform for precise, single-base, RNA editing to modulate protein function for therapeutic applications.

Wu Capital led the financing with participation from current investors Atlas Venture and New Enterprise Associates, and new investors Qiming Venture Partners USA, Surveyor Capital, Cormorant Asset Management, MP Healthcare Venture Management, and Alexandria Venture Investments.

Korro will use the proceeds to advance its lead program to IND filing and establish a broad portfolio of innovative RNA editing therapies.

Korro’s proprietary platform, OPERA (Oligonucleotide Promoted Editing of RNA), harnesses the body’s natural base editing system — specifically ADAR (Adenosine Deaminase Acting on RNA) — to make targeted edits to a single RNA base. OPERA can repair disease-causing mutations at the RNA level, in addition to creating therapeutically beneficial versions of proteins to improve patient outcomes.

“This technology holds tremendous potential to usher in a new era of RNA editing therapies,” said Nessan Bermingham, Korro’s co-founder and executive chair. “We are leveraging a natural cellular system that has evolved over millions of years to base edit RNA. By co-opting these endogenous enzymes, we can create highly targeted, titratable and reversible therapeutics that are straightforward to design, manufacture, and deliver.”

Korro’s approach uses oligonucleotide guides to recruit ADAR enzymes to a specific, therapeutically relevant RNA, making a precise targeted edit. The team leverages well-established approaches to design and manufacture synthetic oligonucleotides that can be delivered to target tissues.

“Korro has now established proof of mechanism in animal models,” said Jean-François Formela, partner at Atlas Venture and co-founder and member of the board of Korro. “We believe specific and safe single-base RNA editing will be relevant across a number of debilitating diseases.”

Photo: Nessan Bermingham, Korro’s co-founder and executive chair