Therna
2 known investors
Therna Biosciences designs programmable RNA therapeutics by combining RNA foundation models (its RNA-Logix platform) with proprietary experimental datasets. The company develops medicines for cardiovascular, metabolic, and immunological diseases, including single-patient programs for ultra-rare conditions.
Also known as Therna Bioscience · Therna Biosciences
Investors · 2
Also in the syndicate · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Therna Biosciences is a San Francisco-based biotechnology company developing programmable RNA medicines by combining RNA biology with generative artificial intelligence. Its platform, RNA-Logix, integrates RNA foundation models with proprietary experimental datasets to design RNA therapeutics, operating on a "lab in the loop" model in which internally generated, high-resolution biological data continuously retrains the models and the models in turn direct new experiments. According to the company, the platform supports end-to-end design of engineered mRNA molecules optimized for translation, stability, immune evasion, and tissue-specific expression, and also identifies target sites within mRNA for ASO and siRNA design, allowing gene expression to be increased, decreased, or tuned.
The company's therapeutic pipeline spans cardiovascular, metabolic, and immunological diseases, with programs described at stages from target and biology selection through candidate design and optimization, experimental validation, and preclinical development readiness. In parallel, Therna pursues single-patient programs for ultra-rare conditions where conventional clinical development is not feasible; disclosed single-patient indications include pulmonary fibrosis and Lamb-Shaffer syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder, tracked through preclinical development, IND-enabling studies, IND clearance, and dosing. The company states that this individualized work provides human clinical proof of concept that de-risks the broader platform. Earlier press coverage of the company's launch described applications across genetic and rare diseases, ophthalmology, and immunology.
Founding story
Therna Biosciences was started in April 2025, according to its CEO, on the premise that RNA is a language that can be learned and engineered. It was co-founded by Nazli Azimi, Ph.D., a serial biotech entrepreneur and former founder and CEO of Bioniz Therapeutics and Dermaheal, who serves as CEO, and Hani Goodarzi, Ph.D., a UCSF and Arc Institute scientist with more than a decade of experience in RNA biology and generative AI, who is scientific co-founder. The company's own account describes two years of stealth operation before its official launch alongside a seed financing in 2025.
Traction
By the end of its first year the company reported validating its core premise that RNA can be designed with intent, with design iteration cycles that previously took years compressed to weeks. It disclosed $10M in seed funding, acceptance into the NVIDIA Inception and Google for Startups Cloud programs, a collaboration with NVIDIA involving the CodonFM RNA foundation model, a 2026 collaboration with Charles River on single-patient personalized RNA therapeutics, and single-patient programs in pulmonary fibrosis and Lamb-Shaffer syndrome.
Latest developments
In 2026 Therna announced a collaboration with Charles River to advance single-patient personalized RNA therapeutics for patients with ultra-rare diseases, appointed Devyn Smith, Ph.D., to its board of directors while expanding strategic and scientific advisory leadership, and published technical work on in-context learning with Evo2 for RNA design and on designing a glucagon mRNA for HepG2 cells. The company has stated plans to scale its platform and expand the scope of programmable RNA applications in 2026.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Therna positions itself as more than an AI company applying models to biology, emphasizing that it generates its own experimental data to train and improve its models, and states an ambition to become "the RNA company."
Therna states that its differentiation lies in owning the data layer: its experimental systems are designed to produce biologically meaningful, high-resolution datasets that directly shape its models, creating a feedback loop in which better data yields better models and more precise biological questions. It also frames its single-patient ultra-rare disease programs as a source of genuine human clinical proof of concept that de-risks the wider pipeline, and pairs biologists with AI researchers working side by side.
Technology
RNA-Logix is Therna's platform for integrating RNA foundation models with proprietary experimental datasets to design programmable RNA therapeutics. The approach is described as biology-guided and lab-in-the-loop: purpose-built experimental systems generate high-resolution datasets that train generative models, which then propose designs for validation. Stated capabilities include design of mRNA optimized for translation, stability, immune evasion, durability, and tissue-specific expression, and identification of optimal mRNA target sites for ASO and siRNA design, enabling upregulation, downregulation, or fine-tuning of gene expression. The company works with CodonFM, an RNA foundation model that learns RNA rules at the level of codons, through its NVIDIA collaboration, and its technical blog describes work using Evo2 for in-context learning in RNA design and designing a glucagon mRNA for HepG2 cells.
Go-to-market
The company develops therapeutics for patients, targeting cardiovascular, metabolic, and immunological diseases, and individual patients with ultra-rare conditions who lack other treatment options; earlier launch coverage also cited genetic and rare diseases, ophthalmology, and immunology.
Geography
Headquartered at 135 Mississippi Street, San Francisco, California 94107, United States.
History
The company describes starting in April 2025 and operating in stealth for two years before formally launching in 2025 with seed funding from AIX Ventures, Pear VC, and Fusion Fund, announced in August 2025. During its first year it assembled a team spanning RNA biology, AI, and translational and preclinical science and was accepted into the NVIDIA Inception program and the Google for Startups Cloud Program; as part of the NVIDIA collaboration it works with CodonFM, an RNA foundation model that reads sequences in codon units. In 2026 the company appointed biotech veteran Devyn Smith, Ph.D., to its board of directors, expanded its strategic and scientific advisory leadership, and announced a collaboration with Charles River to advance single-patient personalized RNA therapeutics.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 5
launches, deals, and filingsTherna appointed biotech veteran Devyn Smith, Ph.D., to its board of directors and expanded its strategic and scientific advisory leadership.
Therna announced a collaboration with Charles River to advance individualized RNA medicines for patients with ultra-rare diseases.
The San Francisco-based RNA medicines company raised $10M in seed funding, to be used to expand its development efforts.
$10M source ↗
Therna joined the NVIDIA Inception program and the Google for Startups Cloud Program; as part of its NVIDIA collaboration it works with CodonFM, an RNA foundation model that reads sequences in codon units.
The company emerged from stealth, announcing proprietary generative AI models for programmable RNA medicine design.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Thernatherna.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Therna do?
- Therna Biosciences uses RNA foundation models and in-house experimental data to design programmable RNA therapeutics.
- Who are Therna's investors?
- Therna's investors include AIX Ventures.