Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci plan to step down from their leadership and board positions at BioNTech at the end of 2026, and they will launch a new mRNA‑focused company. They stressed that this move does not signal a rupture with BioNTech.
BioNTech is increasingly turning into a commercial pharmaceutical enterprise, whereas the founders’ core strengths remain in research and innovation. Türeci explained that to pursue new directions they need to bring additional expertise aboard: “We want to use our super‑powers for medicine in a different way”. After building two companies, they believe the time is right to start a “third baby”.
The new venture’s goal is to develop the next generation of mRNA therapies and to integrate artificial intelligence more deeply into the process. Sahin noted that the mRNA platform has a great deal of untapped potential. By leveraging AI, future treatments could become more precise, potent, and highly personalized.
While the new company focuses on advancing the technology, BioNTech will concentrate on late‑stage drug development and commercialization. Both founders intend to remain shareholders, holding roughly 15 % of the company’s shares. BioNTech may also invest in the new firm and explore combination studies or other collaborations down the line.