Two recent deals signaled to the industry that efforts to target previously undruggable RNA with small-molecule therapies may be moving from academic endeavor to fruitful application.
Kronos Bio Inc. closed a $105 million series A preferred stock financing, shored up by a board composed of longtime pharma executives that includes the company CEO and president, Norbert Bischofberger, the former Gilead Sciences Inc. R&D executive vice president and chief science officer.
Japanese biopharma Carna Biosciences Inc. and Gilead Sciences Inc., of Foster City, Calif., have signed a $470 million R&D collaboration to develop and commercialize small-molecule compounds in immuno-oncology. Under the agreement, Gilead will license worldwide rights to develop and commercialize inhibitors against an undisclosed immuno-oncology target from Kobe, Japan-based Carna. Additionally, Gilead will have access to Carna's lipid kinase drug discovery platform.
