Lucerna Information

LucernaTM aims to commercialize the Spinach technology by developing a line of toolkits that will enable researchers to easily image both mRNAs an noncoding RNAs in living cells and thereby providing insights into the function of these RNAs in cell biology and disease pathogenesis. Areas that are currently unclear but addressable with our technology include RNA trafficking, RNA degradation, toxic RNA aggregation, and potentially other RNA regulatory mechanisms. We believe that the Spinach technology will greatly facilitate research on the cell biology of RNA similar to the way fluorescent protein technology accelerated the cellular understanding of proteins. LucernaTM was founded by researchers from the Weill Medical College of Cornell University in 2010. The founding team has collectively over 25 years of experience in the field of RNA biology, aptamer development, and fluorescence imaging. The founders are also the inventors on the fluorescent RNA aptamer technology patents and have published many high profile scientific papers on the technology. LucernaTM has in place a management team with significant industry experience and a diverse Scientific Advisory Board that consists of many leading experts in the fields of RNA biology, microfluidics, molecular imaging, and small molecule chemistry.