Roche and Arrakis Therapeutics Announce Strategic Collaboration to Develop RNA-Targeted Small Molecule Therapies

On the 9th, Arrakis Therapeutics announced a strategic collaboration and licensing agreement with Roche to co-develop small-molecule drugs targeting RNA across a broad range of targets spanning all of Roche’s therapeutic areas.

Arrakis is employing a multifaceted approach to establish a new paradigm for small-molecule drug discovery targeting diverse mechanisms across the RNA lifecycle. The company’s discovery platform integrates cutting-edge RNA bioinformatics and structural tools, curated chemical libraries, RNA-specific assays, and RNA-directed medicinal chemistry. In addition to its collaborative partnerships, Arrakis is developing an internal R&D pipeline for the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases, having identified challenging yet tractable targets and disease drivers in these therapeutic areas.

Under the terms of the agreement, Arrakis will lead discovery and research activities for each target, with Roche retaining the right to conduct further preclinical and clinical studies. Arrakis will be eligible to receive an upfront payment of $190 million, potential milestone payments totaling up to billions of dollars, as well as tiered royalties on future sales of products developed under the collaboration.

▲Schematic diagram of Arrakis’ small-molecule drug platform targeting RNA (Image source: Used with permission from Arrakis)

“We are pleased to collaborate with Roche’s robust R&D team. We share a common vision of identifying novel drug targets at the RNA level, thereby developing new therapies for diseases with high unmet medical needs,” said Dr. Michael Gilman, CEO of Arrakis. “In addition to our collaboration with Roche, we are further strengthening our R&D capabilities to advance our proprietary small-molecule programs targeting RNA, aiming to treat conditions that are currently undruggable.”

“Through our pioneering work in the field of RNA biology, we have established a drug discovery platform for creating and engineering therapeutics, enabling us to predict and validate the structures of RNA targets, identify druggable targets, and conduct medicinal chemistry development to discover a class of RNA-targeted drugs with optimized potency, selectivity, and safety,” said Dr. Jennifer C. Petter, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Arrakis. “This agreement with Roche highlights the inherent value of our small-molecule platform targeting RNA and allows us to continue making new discoveries and scientific contributions in this field.”

References:

[1] Arrakis Therapeutics Enters Strategic Collaboration and License Agreement with Roche for Multi-Target Program Utilizing RNA-Targeted Small Molecule Drug Discovery Platform. Retrieved 2020-04-08, from https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005184/en

Original Title: Flash | $190 Million Upfront Payment, Roche and Arrakis Collaborate to Develop Small-Molecule Therapies Targeting RNA

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