AstraZeneca has teamed up with VaxEquity, a biopharmaceutical company, to discover, develop and market a self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) therapeutics platform.
The long-term research collaboration is structured to optimise and validate VaxEquity’s saRNA platform and use it to advance novel therapeutic programmes.
Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca will offer research and development funding, contingent on the drugmaker advancing any research programmes into its pipeline.
VaxEquity is eligible to receive a total of up to $195m in development, approval and sales-based milestones payments, along with royalties.
Also, AstraZeneca holds the option to partner with VaxEquity on up to 26 drug targets and will invest in VaxEquity to advance the development of the saRNA platform.
As part of the collaboration, Tyrell Rivers and Anders Holmén from AstraZeneca will be appointed to VaxEquity’s board as investor directors.
AstraZeneca biopharmaceuticals R&D executive vice president Mene Pangalos said: “This collaboration with VaxEquity adds a promising new platform to our drug discovery toolbox.
“We believe self-amplifying RNA, once optimised, will allow us to target novel pathways not amenable to traditional drug discovery across our therapy areas of interest.”
VaxEquity was spun off from Imperial College London and Morningside in 2020, based on the saRNA technology developed at Imperial College London, UK.
The saRNA platform is used in the development of medicines and vaccines, and leverages a technology similar to mRNA technology, with the ability to self-amplify.
It has the potential to help deliver saRNAs at lower concentrations compared to conventional mRNA therapeutics, resulting in low-dose, inexpensive and a wider range of applications.
Also, the saRNA platform aims to strengthen the next-generation RNA-delivered medicines, enabling vaccines along with a wide range of therapeutic applications.
VaxEquity executive chairman Michael Watson said: “We are delighted to collaborate with AstraZeneca given its strong track record in innovation and welcome them as a new investor.
“We are also grateful for the ongoing support of our existing investor, Morningside Group.
“With our self-amplifying RNA platform, we aim to underpin the next generation of RNA-delivered medicines enabling not only vaccines but also a broad range of therapeutics applications.”
Recently, AstraZeneca has agreed to invest $360m in a new next-generation active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing facility in Ireland.
