Less than a week after announcing it had a new CEO, privately held Creyon Bio Inc. began a licensing and research partnership with Eli Lilly and Co. Creyon is getting $13 million up front and could bring in more than $1 billion in milestone payments. The two plan to find, develop and commercialize RNA-targeted oligonucleotide treatments for a range of diseases.
Less than a week after announcing it had a new CEO, privately held Creyon Bio Inc. began a licensing and research partnership with Eli Lilly and Co. Creyon is getting $13 million up front and could bring in more than $1 billion in milestone payments. The two plan to find, develop and commercialize RNA-targeted oligonucleotide treatments for a range of diseases.
Despite being known for more than 150 years, Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) remains an untreatable disease affecting approximately 1 of every 3,500-5,000 males. Muscles in patients express no or inactive dystrophin, rendering them weak and less mobile.
Newco Akribion Therapeutics GmbH has raised €8 million (US$8.3 million) in a seed round to develop a new and potent class of RNA-targeted CRISPR nucleases, which, rather than cleaving specific nucleic acids, can destroy every type of nucleic acid in a cell.
Newco Akribion Therapeutics GmbH has raised €8 million (US$8.3 million) in a seed round to develop a new and potent class of RNA-targeted CRISPR nucleases, which, rather than cleaving specific nucleic acids, can destroy every type of nucleic acid in a cell.
Rising from a $51 million series A round a year ago to a $1.1 billion acquisition, Kate Therapeutics Inc. has stepped under the umbrella of Novartis AG, which gains preclinical adeno-associated virus-based gene therapies for neuromuscular diseases.
While RNA-medicine developer Wave Life Sciences Ltd. brought in a clinical data win, it also got knocked back a step as a major collaborator will go its separate way. That didn’t stop Wave’s stock from standing strong on the day. The company’s ongoing phase Ib/IIa study of its A-to-I RNA editing oligonucleotide produced positive proof-of-mechanism data in treating alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a rare, genetic condition that can lead to lung and liver disease.
There was more juice to be extracted from the grape that was the very successful Chinook Therapeutics Inc., so two investors have decided to make the most of it. Novartis AG and Versant Ventures have launched Borealis Biosciences Inc. from Chinook’s remnants to develop RNA therapies for treating kidney disease.
In a deal that could bring Avidity Biosciences Inc. $2.3 billion if all milestones are met, Bristol Myers Squibb Co. gained global rights to Avidity’s antibody oligonucleotide conjugates platform to advance up to five genetic cardiovascular targets. Avidity’s technology, which combines the specificity of monoclonal antibodies with the precision of oligonucleotide therapies, aims to address the root cause of diseases that are untreatable with current RNA therapeutics. Its lead internal programs are based on the targeted delivery of RNA into muscle.
In its second big pharma deal to date, Shape Therapeutics Inc. drew Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. to the table in a potential $1.5 billion-plus collaboration initially aimed at developing gene therapies for ocular diseases. The multitarget agreement, which includes options for additional targets and tissue types, will combine Shape’s AI-driven adeno-associated virus (AAV) platform and Otsuka’s expertise in ophthalmology to develop intravitreally delivered AAV therapies.
