Key Takeaways
- • Tome Biosciences founders Omar Abudayyeh and Jonathan Gootenberg, alongside Arc Institute founder Patrick Hsu, have launched Terrain Biosciences, a contract research organization (CRO) focused on RNA design and manufacturing.
- • Terrain has secured backing from industry veterans Hans Bishop, John Evans, and John Maraganore, with plans to raise a Series A round later in 2025.
- • The new venture represents a strategic pivot following Tome's near-total operational collapse in 2024; Tome launched in December 2023 with $213 million in financing but laid off nearly all employees after failing to secure additional investor capital.
- • Terrain's focus on RNA manufacturing addresses a critical bottleneck in the gene medicine industry—the ability to design and produce RNA therapeutics at scale, positioning the company as an enabling platform for the broader RNA medicine sector.
Summary
Three prominent biotech researchers have formed Terrain Biosciences to address a fundamental infrastructure gap in RNA therapeutics manufacturing. Omar Abudayyeh and Jonathan Gootenberg, co-founders of the now-defunct Tome Biosciences, partnered with Patrick Hsu, founder of the Arc Institute, to establish the new contract research organization. The company will focus on the engineering and manufacturing of RNA molecules—a technically demanding process that has become a critical constraint for companies developing RNA-based gene medicines.
The founding team has attracted support from three seasoned biotech executives: Hans Bishop, John Evans, and John Maraganore, bringing substantial industry credibility and operational expertise to the venture. According to reporting from STAT News, Terrain plans to pursue a Series A financing round later in 2025, positioning itself to scale operations and capture market opportunity in RNA therapeutics manufacturing.
The launch of Terrain reflects lessons learned from Abudayyeh and Gootenberg's previous venture. Tome Biosciences, which debuted in December 2023 with $213 million in initial funding, aimed to develop gene-editing treatments capable of inserting larger genetic sequences than traditional CRISPR/Cas9 platforms. However, the company encountered severe capital constraints and, according to STAT, laid off nearly its entire workforce in 2024 after struggling to secure follow-on funding. The founders' decision to pursue a contract research model—rather than a therapeutic development platform—represents a strategic recalibration, leveraging their technical expertise in RNA while addressing unmet demand for manufacturing and design services across the industry.
Terrain's positioning as a CRO rather than a direct therapeutics company offers a more defensible business model with lower capital requirements and recurring revenue potential. As RNA-based therapies gain regulatory traction and attract substantial investment, manufacturing bottlenecks have emerged as a material limitation. By focusing on the supply-side infrastructure, Terrain targets a large addressable market of RNA therapeutic developers seeking outsourced manufacturing and design capabilities.
The founding team has attracted support from three seasoned biotech executives: Hans Bishop, John Evans, and John Maraganore, bringing substantial industry credibility and operational expertise to the venture. According to reporting from STAT News, Terrain plans to pursue a Series A financing round later in 2025, positioning itself to scale operations and capture market opportunity in RNA therapeutics manufacturing.
The launch of Terrain reflects lessons learned from Abudayyeh and Gootenberg's previous venture. Tome Biosciences, which debuted in December 2023 with $213 million in initial funding, aimed to develop gene-editing treatments capable of inserting larger genetic sequences than traditional CRISPR/Cas9 platforms. However, the company encountered severe capital constraints and, according to STAT, laid off nearly its entire workforce in 2024 after struggling to secure follow-on funding. The founders' decision to pursue a contract research model—rather than a therapeutic development platform—represents a strategic recalibration, leveraging their technical expertise in RNA while addressing unmet demand for manufacturing and design services across the industry.
Terrain's positioning as a CRO rather than a direct therapeutics company offers a more defensible business model with lower capital requirements and recurring revenue potential. As RNA-based therapies gain regulatory traction and attract substantial investment, manufacturing bottlenecks have emerged as a material limitation. By focusing on the supply-side infrastructure, Terrain targets a large addressable market of RNA therapeutic developers seeking outsourced manufacturing and design capabilities.
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