Eli Lilly and Evox Therapeutics Announce €1.1B Collaboration to Develop Exosome-Delivered RNA Therapeutics for Neurological Disorders

By Bai Lu

On June 9, Evox Therapeutics announced a €1.1 billion collaboration agreement with Eli Lilly to develop RNA therapeutics delivered to the brain via exosomes for the treatment of neurological disorders. As part of the deal, Evox will receive an upfront payment of €17.6 million to fund research over the next three years. Eli Lilly will also invest €8.8 million in the company through convertible bonds. Additionally, Evox is eligible to receive more than €1 billion in future preclinical, regulatory, and commercial milestones, as well as royalties.

The two companies did not disclose the specific neurological indications. It is reported that during the collaboration, Evox Therapeutics will be responsible for exosome engineering design to achieve brain/central nervous system (CNS) targeting, drug loading and characterization, as well as the development of certain in vitro assays, and will provide materials for initial in vivo studies. Upon completion of preclinical proof-of-concept studies, Evox Therapeutics will transfer any candidate drugs and related technologies to Eli Lilly and Company.

Image source: Evox Therapeutics, Eli Lilly official website

Evox is a privately held biotechnology company headquartered in Oxford, UK, dedicated to harnessing the natural delivery capabilities of extracellular vesicles—exosomes—to develop novel biotherapeutic drugs. Evox has developed extensive proprietary technologies that leverage various molecular engineering, drug loading, and targeting strategies to modify exosomes, thereby facilitating targeted drug delivery to specific organs, including the brain and central nervous system.

Exosomes are small lipid particles that transport proteins and RNA from cells to where they are needed. Evox has discovered methods to harness this natural cellular transport system to deliver drugs to specific parts of the body, enabling the company to target therapies to certain tissues without having to pass through the liver, which can prevent drugs from reaching their intended destinations in the body.

Antonin de Fougerolles, CEO of Evox Therapeutics, stated, “The biotechnology industry has long attempted to develop artificial solutions for the extrahepatic delivery of RNA therapeutics, but with limited success. In contrast, we have drawn inspiration from nature’s own solution to this challenge, using it as a starting point to engineer exosomes for improved drug-like properties.”

Furthermore, because the blood-brain barrier prevents molecules in the bloodstream from entering the brain, the brain represents a particularly challenging target for drug development. Exosomes may offer a means to bypass this barrier.

de Fougerolles stated, “We already have early preclinical data, some of which have been published, demonstrating that exosomes can be engineered and targeted to successfully deliver RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics to the brain.”

This collaboration with Eli Lilly marks Evox’s second major deal in the past three months. In late March, Evox signed an €800 million agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company (Takeda) to leverage its exosome technology for addressing rare diseases.

Although the two partners share the same technology platform, de Fougerolles explained that the collaboration with Eli Lilly will focus on neurological targets, developing small RNA therapeutics, particularly those based on RNA interference (RNAi) and antisense oligonucleotides. In contrast, Takeda aims to develop messenger RNA (mRNA) or protein therapeutics targeting rare diseases.

References:

1# Evox and Lilly Partner to Develop Neuro RNA Drugs in Deal Worth €1.1B

(Source: LABIOTECH.eu)

2# EVOX Therapeutics Announces a Multi-target RNA Interference and Antisense Research Collaboration and License Agreement with Lilly

(Source: Evox Therapeutics Official Website)

Note: The original text has been abridged.