Worcester, Massachusetts-based Waterfall Scientific has been selected by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to lead a six-company consortium developing a continuous-flow, cell-free mRNA manufacturing and characterization platform, with funding of up to USD 54.5 million under the agency's Genetic Medicines and Individualized Manufacturing for Everyone (GIVE) program. The project, designated ESCALATOR, targets end-to-end on-demand production of mRNA therapeutics and vaccines, covering DNA synthesis through fill-finish and automated drug substance characterization, with the stated aim of compressing mRNA production timelines from weeks to days.
The technical architecture integrates Waterfall Scientific's proprietary DuoTether continuous-flow RNA synthesis system — spun out of the University of Massachusetts Amherst — with specialized capabilities from five consortium partners. Ansa Biotechnologies contributes enzymatic DNA synthesis for template generation; Volta Labs provides automated fluid handling and sample preparation; Polymorphic Biosciences supplies lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulation technology; Tensentric leads custom hardware design for mRNA production and fill-finish; and Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA) delivers system integration and computational optimization across the pipeline. The platform is built as a fully integrated microfluidic system spanning RNA transcription, purification, and formulation, coupled with an automated characterization module.
Waterfall Scientific serves as prime contractor for the ARPA-H award, with the five companies operating as sub-awardees.
Ginkgo Bioworks brings directly relevant prior experience to the consortium: the company previously led a USD 29 million ARPA-H contract alongside the US Pharmacopeia and other partners for the WHEAT project, which developed wheat germ cell-free expression systems for distributed pharmaceutical manufacturing. The award also extends a pattern of ARPA-H investment in continuous biomanufacturing platforms; Landmark Bio secured up to USD 18.3 million from the agency earlier in 2026 for a continuous extracellular vesicle manufacturing program under the TRANSFORM-EV initiative.
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