MiNA said the collaboration will combine its “expertise in the discovery and development of saRNA therapeutics” with AstraZeneca’s experience in “identifying and bringing breakthrough treatments to patients with metabolic diseases.”
Pharma giant AstraZeneca forged a relationship with RNA activation therapeutics pioneer MiNA Therapeutics to tackle metabolic diseases with small activating RNA (saRNA).
London-based MiNA said the collaboration will combine its “expertise in the discovery and development of saRNA therapeutics” with AstraZeneca’s experience in “identifying and bringing breakthrough treatments to patients with metabolic diseases.”
Under the terms of the collaborative deal, the two companies will conduct in vitro and in vivo studies that they hope will lead to the development of saRNA treatments for metabolic diseases through biological pathways not addressable by conventional treatment strategies. Financial details of the collaboration were not disclosed. However, MiNA said once the studies have been completed, AstraZeneca will have the option to license the saRNA molecules for development.
Small activating RNAs are designed to work at the gene level and restore a cell’s own biology, the company said. saRNA-developed medicines will enable new approaches to treating disease, MiNA said on its website. Through transcriptional activation, leads to the increased expression of “naturally processed mRNA and upregulation of the target protein.” According to the company, saRNAs can upregulate intracellular or secreted proteins for therapeutic benefit and have been shown to increase protein levels for both naturally expressed and epigenetically silenced targets. The company currently has a saRNA therapeutic called MTL-CEBPA in the clinic for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and is also pairing its asset with checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of solid tumors.
Robert Habib, MiNA’s chief executive officer, said the hope is the research collaboration with AstraZeneca will lead to potential therapies for metabolic diseases that do not have sufficient treatment options. Many metabolic diseases, Habib said in a statement, lack treatment options that allow the patients to manage their disease and “treat the underlying causes to improve patient outcomes.”
“This is an exciting opportunity for us to collaborate with AstraZeneca, a global leader in the discovery and development of prescription medicines to treat metabolic diseases that may lead to therapeutic advances for a large number of patients globally. We continue to evaluate the potential of saRNA therapeutics in a variety of indications, in parallel with advancing our proprietary programs in cancer,” Habib said in a statement.
AstraZeneca’s Shalini Andersson, the chief scientist for New Modalities, Discovery Sciences, R&D, said saRNAs have the potential to access disease-relevant targets that have not yet been able to be addressed efficiently. Andersson said the company is excited about the potential that can come from the relationship with MiNA.
AstraZeneca isn’t the only company to look at saRNAs. In 2017, Boehringer Ingelheim teamed up with MiNA to take on fibrotic liver diseases such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
