Moderna, Inc.
Acquisitions
1
Major Deals Covered
$85M
Disclosed Deal Value
Moderna's largest disclosed acquisition here is OriCiro Genomics for $85M in 2023. This page covers 1 major deal, each with its price where disclosed and the reason behind it.
| Company | Year | Price | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| OriCiro Genomics | 2023 | $85.0M | Moderna bought Japan-based OriCiro Genomics in January 2023 for about $85 million to gain cell-free DNA synthesis and amplification technology used to make the DNA templates for mRNA production. |
2023
$85M
Moderna bought Japan-based OriCiro Genomics in January 2023 for about $85 million to gain cell-free DNA synthesis and amplification technology used to make the DNA templates for mRNA production.
Brings plasmid-free DNA template production in-house, reducing reliance on bacterial fermentation.
OriCiro operates as part of Moderna's manufacturing and technology organization.
Moderna is narrowing its pipeline to programs with near-term commercial potential: respiratory vaccines (COVID, RSV, flu and combinations), individualized cancer therapy with Merck, and a small set of rare-disease and latent-virus programs. It cut R&D spending, reduced headcount below 5,000 in 2025, and is seeking expanded age and country approvals for existing vaccines while preparing filings for intismeran autogene.
Moderna earns most of its revenue from net product sales of mRNA vaccines: Spikevax and mNEXSPIKE for COVID-19, mRESVIA for RSV, and from the 2026-2027 season mFLUSIVA for influenza. Buyers are governments, national immunization programs, pharmacy chains, wholesalers and health systems, so sales are concentrated in the autumn and winter vaccination season. Smaller amounts come from collaboration, licensing and grant revenue. Because every product uses the same mRNA and lipid nanoparticle backbone, Moderna can reuse manufacturing, regulatory and clinical know-how across programs, while partners such as Merck share development costs and profits on the individualized cancer vaccine intismeran autogene.
In January 2023, Moderna acquired Japanese biotech company OriCiro Genomics for $85 million. OriCiro developed a major cell-free enzymatic synthesis technology for plasmid DNA (pDNA), allowing Moderna to produce high-purity DNA templates for mRNA synthesis in hours without relying on slow bacterial E. coli fermentation.
Yes, through a 2021 collaboration rather than an acquisition, combining Metagenomi's gene-editing systems with Moderna's mRNA and lipid nanoparticle delivery.
Moderna prioritizes in-house discovery and platform engineering, utilizing targeted bolt-on M&A strictly to acquire foundational manufacturing IP (like OriCiro's cell-free DNA synthesis), specialized lipid delivery chemistry, or novel genomic technologies that accelerate mRNA production.
In September 2023 Moderna and Immatics agreed to combine Immatics' TCR-based cancer target discovery with Moderna's mRNA platform, with Moderna paying $120 million upfront plus potential milestones.
Moderna mainly partnered with contract manufacturers such as Lonza, Catalent and Rovi rather than buying plants, and later built its own sites in the UK, Canada and Australia.
In 2013, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded Moderna up to $25 million to develop mRNA platform technology to combat biological threats, providing critical early non-dilutive capital that funded the engineering of pandemic-ready vaccine prototypes.
Moderna has made few acquisitions. The best-known is the roughly $85 million purchase of OriCiro Genomics in 2023.
In January 2023, Moderna acquired Tokyo-based OriCiro Genomics for $85 million. OriCiro developed proprietary cell-free, enzymatic synthesis technology for double-stranded plasmid DNA. This acquisition removed a major bottleneck in mRNA production, allowing Moderna to synthesize DNA templates in hours without relying on slow bacterial fermentation (E. coli).
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