Entering its first major cardiovascular disease collaboration with a biopharma company, while it advances two internal gene therapies, Tenaya Therapeutics Inc. signed on with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. to deliver up to 15 novel genetic targets that could lead to new heart disease medicines. The deal comes with $10 million up front, and up to $1.13 billion is available to South San Francisco-based Tenaya if all targets meet certain milestones, leading to approved therapeutics that Alnylam develops and commercializes.

Entering its first major cardiovascular disease collaboration with a biopharma company, while it advances two internal gene therapies, Tenaya Therapeutics Inc. signed on with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. to deliver up to 15 novel genetic targets that could lead to new heart disease medicines. The deal comes with $10 million up front, and up to $1.13 billion is available to South San Francisco-based Tenaya if all targets meet certain milestones, leading to approved therapeutics that Alnylam develops and commercializes.

At the current pace of innovation in the U.S. rare disease space, developing and approving therapies for just half of the 10,000-plus known rare diseases would take more than 160 years, Bradley Campbell, president and CEO of Amicus Therapeutics Inc., recently told the Senate Committee on Aging.