Faster RNA synthesis and cleaner sequencing — new tools to speed RNA therapeutics

UC Irvine scientists reported a novel enzyme that accelerates rapid and precise RNA synthesis, addressing a bottleneck for mRNA therapeutics and diagnostics. In parallel, a deep‑learning tool dubbed DeepChopper from Rendong Yang’s lab reduces chimera artifacts in long‑read RNA sequencing, improving transcriptome fidelity. Together, an improved synthetic enzyme and computational cleanup of sequencing artifacts shorten design‑build‑test cycles for RNA‑based modalities. These platform advances target two distinct technical barriers: scalable, high‑fidelity RNA manufacture and accurate long‑read transcript profiling for product characterization.