Astellas Acquires Nanna Therapeutics to Advance Drug Discovery for Mitochondrial Diseases

Compiled by S.Li

On April 21 (local time), Astellas announced the acquisition of the UK-based biotechnology company Nanna Therapeutics Limited (“Nanna”), with plans to apply Nanna’s advanced compound screening technology to the early-stage drug development for mitochondrial-related diseases.

It is reported that Astellas executed this acquisition through its UK subsidiary, acquiring 100% of the issued share capital of Nanna Therapeutics. Astellas paid an acquisition consideration of £12 million, and Nanna’s shareholders are also eligible to receive potential future R&D milestone payments of up to £57.5 million.

Nanna Therapeutics is dedicated to addressing the high unmet medical needs associated with age-related diseases, including mitochondrial disorders. The company exclusively holds an advanced screening platform based on novel DNA-encoded library (DEL) technology. Unlike traditional DELs, this platform enables phenotype-based screening and can be applied across various analytical systems, such as cell-based assays using patient-derived cells. This capability facilitates the biological screening of drug candidate libraries against specific diseases. This advanced platform will significantly support Astellas in early-stage drug development, enabling the creation of a more diverse compound library and accelerating the screening process.

Comparison Between Nanna Screening Platform and Traditional Drug Screening Platforms

Source: Nanna Therapeutics Official Website

Dr. Kenji Yasukawa, President and Chief Executive Officer of Astellas, stated, “We believe this acquisition will combine Nanna’s unique technology platform with our R&D capabilities in mitochondria-related diseases, enabling us to propose novel solutions to address unmet medical needs. Nanna’s platform will accelerate Astellas’ drug development in the field of mitochondria-related biology.”

Dr. David Williams, CEO of Nanna Therapeutics, stated, “We are committed to the development of novel mitochondrial modulators. As a vital organelle, the mitochondrion serves as the central hub for energy production and signal transduction in nearly every cell and is implicated in numerous diseases. We are delighted to join Astellas, a pharmaceutical company with substantial R&D expertise in mitochondrial biology, and we will strive to further advance these research achievements.”

Reference Source: Astellas Announces Acquisition of Nanna – Nanna’s unique screening platform has great potential to create novel programs, leading to maximization of mitochondria-related research