Startup Laronde merges with another biotech after data integrity issue

RNA medicines startup Laronde is merging with another startup, after closing the door on a scientific misconduct issue that affected its leading drug candidates.

Laronde was founded by biotech creation firm Flagship Pioneering in 2017 to develop a new type of genetic medicine called endless RNA. It attracted more than $440 million from investors including Fidelity, Blackrock, and the Canadian Pension Plan in 2021. That same year, multiple employees said they began questioning the validity of preclinical data for its lead drug candidate, an investigation by STAT and the Boston Globe revealed in June.

Now, Laronde is merging with another Flagship company, Senda Biosciences, according to a statement released Thursday. The joint venture will be called Sail Biomedicines, and will continue to develop endless RNA therapies. It will be led by Flagship CEO-Partner Guillaume Pfefer.

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