Rather than focus on making one drug at a time, Creyon Bio Inc. is taking its more than $40 million in seed and series A financing to build its platform to understand the genetic roots of disease and then create precision medicines. Creyon is creating datasets to engineer RNA-based and single-stranded oligonucleotide-based medicines (OBMs) in addition to DNA and RNA editing systems. Those datasets are tailored to deliver models that create OBMs that are safe and effective for treating both common diseases and rare diseases.
Merck & Co. Inc., building on a year-old deal with Aligos Therapeutics Inc., has moved to in-license an early stage nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) oligonucleotide program Aligos had previously advanced independently. The amended deal also gives Merck the right to add a new NASH target to the partnership, in addition to those already part of the agreement. With Aligos eligible to receive up to $460 million in development and commercialization milestones as well as tiered royalties on net sales per target, its rewards could reach $1.38 billion.
Proqr Therapeutics NV sealed a deal for genetic disorders in the liver and nervous system with Eli Lilly and Co., collecting $50 million in the form of an up-front payment ($20 million) and an equity investment ($30 million), with the prospect of about $1.25 billion more if the arrangement hits research, development and commercialization goals. “The milestones are pretty evenly spread out,” said Smital Shah, Proqr’s chief business and financial officer, though details weren’t provided.
DUBLIN – Auris Medical Holding Ltd., an early pioneer of targeted therapy for hearing disorders, is planning to exit the field and pivot into RNA-based therapeutics by acquiring a U.S. firm, Trasir Therapeutics Inc., which has developed an oligonucleotide delivery platform for delivery of short interfering RNA and other therapeutic RNA payloads to sites outside the liver.
A Polish/Dutch team of investigators has reported new insights into the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 genome that suggests it could be amenable to both small-molecule and oligonucleotide drugs.
