Luxna Biotech Co., Ltd. (President & CEO: Hideaki Sato, Headquarters: Suita-shi, Osaka, Japan, hereinafter “Luxna”) and Inabata & Co., Ltd. (President: Katsutaro Inabata, Headquarters: Osaka-shi, Osaka, hereinafter "Inabata") today announce that the parties have entered into a license agreement to grant a license to Inabata for the manufacture and sale of modified nucleic acid GuNA™ amidite. This alliance is positioned as a strategic partnership that leverages the strengths of both companies: Inabata 's global sales network for chemicals, its ability to develop new sales channels, and Luxna’s innovative modified nucleic acid technology.
Luxna will
receive an undisclosed upfront payment upon the execution of the License
Agreement. Luxna may also receive milestone payments and royalties based on the
future production and sales of GuNA™ by Inabata. The licensed product will not be
used for the development of nucleic acid therapeutics. Inabata will focus on
the manufacturing and supply of amidites as raw materials for nucleic acid
therapeutic development.
GuNA™ is one of our artificial
bridged types modified nucleic acids developed using Luxna’s modified nucleic
acid technologies (Luxna XNAs technology) and is used as a raw material for
nucleic acid therapeutics. Compared to conventional modified nucleic acids, it
is expected to improve affinity with target RNA and reduce neurotoxicity.
In
partnership with Inabata, Luxna aims to expand the adoption of its XNAs
technology through the supply of GuNA™ and to advance the development and
real-world implementation of nucleic acid therapeutics.
About Luxna XNAs Technology Luxna XNAs
Technology collectively means an innovative nucleic acid group of AmNA™,
scpBNA™, GuNA™, and 5’-CP™ originated in Professor Obika’s laboratory at the
Osaka University Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bioorganic
Chemistry. Luxna XNAs Technology could make available ASOs with high activity
and low toxicity by leveraging its characteristics of strong binding to mRNA and/or
reduced immune response.
About GuNA™ GuNA™
has a positive charge, and its introduction into antisense nucleic acids
can enhance its binding affinity to RNA and nuclease resistance, reducing
neurotoxicity, reducing immunogenicity thereby reducing neurotoxicity,
immunogenicity, and prolonging the duration of action. We also expect similar
effects among antisense nucleic acids, not only for knockdown but also for
splicing control applications.
About
nucleic acid therapeutics Nucleic
acid therapeutics are chemically synthesized drugs that use nucleotides - the
building blocks of DNA and RNA - as their fundamental backbone. Unlike
conventional drugs that primarily act on proteins or the pathways that produce
them, nucleic acid therapeutics directly target upstream genetic information
such as mRNA and noncoding RNA. This enables highly sequence-specific
modulation of gene expression and allows access to intracellular targets that
have been difficult to reach with traditional pharmaceuticals. Because these
molecules are produced through chemical synthesis, candidate compounds can be
generated rapidly, supporting their development as a next- generation class of medicines.
About Amidite Amidite
refers to a phosphoramidite-activated nucleoside, which serves as the monomer
used in solid phase synthesis of oligonucleotides. These oligonucleotides
function as the active pharmaceutical ingredients in nucleic acid therapeutics.
About
Inabata & Co., Ltd. Founded in
1890, Inabata & Co., Ltd. is a global chemical trading company with
approximately 70 locations in 19 countries. The company operates across four
core business segments: Information & Electronics, Chemicals, Life
Industry, and Plastics. Within the
Life Sciences Division of the Life Industry segment, Inabata provides end‑to‑end
solutions tailored to customer needs. In addition to having active
pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and intermediate manufacturing facilities in
France, Inabata provides comprehensive solutions tailored to our customers'
needs. These include sourcing pharmaceutical raw materials domestically and
internationally, CDMO management, and logistics support for overseas
distribution. Recently, Inabata has strengthened our handling of products
related to new modalities such as regenerative medicine and nucleic acid
therapeutics. By contributing to the revitalization of the pharmaceutical
market and the promotion of research and development, Inabata aims to help
realize healthy and comfortable lives. For more
information: https://www.inabata.co.jp/
Contact
us Luxna
Biotech Co., Ltd. info@luxnabiotech.co.jp
Company
HP: https://luxnabiotech.co.jp/en/
Inabata
& Co., Ltd. Company
HP: https://www.inabata.co.jp/english/