Beyond Nutrition: Dietary RNA as a Tool for Cellular Biohacking
In recent years, a new wave of scientific research has begun to reshape how we think about food. One of the most exciting frontiers? Dietary RNAs—tiny molecules found in fresh foods that may hold the key to optimizing how the human body functions.
Far from being destroyed during digestion, these molecules can survive the journey through the gut—and deliver messages that influence processes like sleep, skin repair, metabolism, and more.
In this article, we’ll explore where dietary RNAs come from, what they do, and how we at Kresko are working to unlock their potential for human health.
From Supporting Role to Center Stage: How RNA Is Rewriting Cell Biology
For most of the 20th century, RNA—short for ribonucleic acid—was seen as DNA’s lesser-known counterpart, mainly responsible for carrying genetic instructions to help cells build proteins. It played the role of a molecular messenger, important but secondary. But in recent decades, that perspective has shifted dramatically.
A major turning point came in 1993, when American scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun discovered that our cells contain small RNA molecules that regulate gene activity and development. Their work transformed the field and earned them the Nobel Prize in 2024.
Since then, RNA biology has exploded—revealing a much more complex picture. We now know that non-coding RNAs (RNAs that don’t make proteins) are involved in fine-tuning cellular functions. This includes types like miRNAs, lncRNAs, tiRNAs, and yRNAs, among others.
Today, RNA is recognized not only as a key player in protein synthesis, but as a central regulator of vital biological processes—from immune response to epigenetics (the switching on and off of genes) and cellular metabolism.
These discoveries were made possible by major leaps in technology—like RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and advanced cell biology tools—that allowed researchers to detect and analyze RNA with unprecedented accuracy. RNA biology has become one of the most dynamic areas in biomedical science—offering new ways to tackle the challenges of human health and well-being in the 21st century.
This meme sums up part of the history of RNA.
The Cross-Kingdom Mystery: Can Food RNAs Talk to Human Cells?
The story gets even more fascinating when we zoom out to the natural world. In the last decade, scientists have discovered that RNA molecules can travel between species, influencing organisms in the same ecosystem. This “cross-kingdom regulation” has been observed in plants affecting insects and pathogens, as well as in microbial and animal symbioses.
That revelation raised a bold question: Could RNAs in food impact human biology?
Interest surged in 2012 when a study published in Cell Research suggested that a microRNA from rice could enter the human bloodstream and regulate gene expression (1). But when other groups failed to replicate the findings, the field faced strong skepticism—and the idea temporarily lost momentum.
In recent years, however, that interest has returned—this time on more solid ground. Research into the RNA content of human breast milk and its role in infant development has provided new insights, along with growing evidence that certain plant-derived RNAs can indeed be absorbed by the human body. Together, these findings have helped reposition dietary RNAs as powerful nutritional regulators (2).
At Kresko, we’re not just following this trend—we’re helping lead it!
With over two decades of experience in RNA biology, our team is pioneering research into a new class of regulatory RNAs known as tDRs and rDRs. These molecules are highly abundant in biological fluids like milk and in digested food components—yet until recently, they were ignored or dismissed as cellular debris.
Now we know better. Over 3,500 studies in the past five years have shown that these fragments play powerful regulatory roles in cells. But standard analysis tools still miss most of them.
That’s why we built our own bioinformatics pipelines—tools that recover over 90% of usable RNA data from sequencing, which traditional approaches often overlook. Our proprietary platform, Serkanto, then integrates these findings with multi-omics data to predict biological functions, validate them in the lab, and turn them into functional ingredients.
From Fragile Molecules to Everyday Ingredients
One of the biggest challenges in working with RNA is its natural instability: it starts to degrade within hours of collecting raw materials like milk or plants. To solve this, we developed a proprietary extraction and stabilization technology that preserves both functional RNAs and the food’s original bioactives, making them stable, natural, and safe for integration into everyday products.
These RNA-rich extracts can interact directly with digestive cells, sending targeted signals that help the body function at its best. This science-backed, 100% food-grade approach allows us to develop natural, stable ingredients that can be added to food, cosmetics, and supplements.
It’s been only three years since we started exploring dietary RNAs in breast milk—and we’ve already developed three validated ingredients: one that supports sleep, one that promotes healing, and one that enhances skin health. And we’re just getting started!
Kresko’s stabilization method preserves bioactive RNAs for months. The green curve shows the quantification of active RNA levels in bovine milk extracts stabilized using Kresko technology, compared to the levels detected in the raw material.
We chose the name Kresko—meaning “I grow” or “I develop” in Esperanto—because it captures the heart of our mission: to help people unlock their full potential. In a world where modern life often pushes our biology out of sync, we believe RNA isn’t just a molecule—it’s a message. One that holds the key to resilience, recovery, and thriving in today’s world.
Exogenous plant MIR168a specifically targets mammalian LDLRAP1: evidence of cross-kingdom regulation by microRNA. Zhang L, Hou D, Chen X, Li D, Zhu L, Zhang Y, Li J, Bian Z, Liang X, Cai X, Yin Y, Wang C, Zhang T, Zhu D, Zhang D, Xu J, Chen Q, Ba Y, Liu J, Wang Q, Chen J, Wang J, Wang M, Zhang Q, Zhang J, Zen K, Zhang CY. Cell Res. 2012 Jan;22(1):107-26. doi: 10.1038/cr.2011.158. Epub 2011 Sep 20. PMID: 21931358 Free PMC article.
McNeill EM, Hirschi KD. Roles of Regulatory RNAs in Nutritional Control. Annu Rev Nutr. 2020 Sep 23;40:77-104. doi: 10.1146/annurev-nutr-122319-035633. PMID: 32966184.
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