We initially investigated the human commensal virome at Flagship Labs, Flagship Pioneering’s innovation foundry. The founding Flagship team, composed of Avak Kahvejian, PhD; Erica Weinstein, PhD; and Noubar Afeyan, PhD, uncovered a family of viruses that were originally identified in transfusion samples around the turn of the century but were largely dismissed after they were deemed non-pathogenic. The team surmised that the natural history of the virus in transfusion medicine could serve as compelling evidence of its safety, ubiquity, and transmissibility. We then embarked on the exciting project of mining genomic data for deeper viral discovery and “vectorization” through synthesis and engineering. After experimental demonstrations were successfully completed and substantiated the potential for a broad new programmable medicines platform, Flagship Pioneering launched Ring Therapeutics, Inc. in 2017.