Korro Bio, Inc., Co-Founded by MBL's Joshua Rosenthal, Announces Merger

Close-up of arms of the longfin inshore squid (Doryteuthis pealeii), a species long studied at MBL. Credit: Tim Briggs

, a biotechnology company co-founded by MBL Senior Scientist Joshua Rosenthal, has announced plans for a merger to create “a Nasdaq-listed genetic medicines company focused on advancing Korro Bio’s wholly owned portfolio of RNA editing programs.”

Rosenthal’s lab at the Marine Biological Laboratory has conducted pioneering basic research on RNA editing in cephalopods for nearly a decade.

"The success of Korro Bio speaks volumes about the translational potential of basic discoveries related to natural systems for targeting genetic information,” Rosenthal said. “My work in this area began with the discovery of prolific RNA editing in squid and it's use to help these organisms acclimate their physiology to a changing environment. Soon after we began to wonder whether we could use the human version of RNA editing as a therapeutic platform, to correct genetic mutations or manipulate physiology. Korro Bio's technology is an extension of these ideas."