Skyhawk Therapeutics Announces Strategic RNA Splicing Collaborations with Merck and Celgene

Skyhawk Therapeutics Announces R&D Collaboration Agreement with MSDRecently, Skyhawk Therapeutics announced a research and development collaboration agreement with MSD. Skyhawk will leverage its SkySTAR technology platform to assist MSD in developing innovative small molecules targeting RNA splicing as potential novel therapies for certain neurological disorders and cancers. To date, Skyhawk’s partners include major pharmaceutical companies such as Biogen, Takeda, Celgene, and MSD, demonstrating significant industry interest in the company’s small-molecule drug development platform targeting RNA splicing.

Errors in RNA splicing can lead to deficient mRNA expression levels, thereby causing a range of neurological disorders, including neuroblastoma, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease (PD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Skyhawk’s SkySTAR technology platform is designed for the discovery of innovative small-molecule drugs targeting RNA. It enables the identification of small-molecule compounds that bind to precursor RNA (pre-mRNA) in the nucleus, correct RNA splicing errors, and restore mRNA expression levels.

Under the agreement, Skyhawk Therapeutics will be responsible for discovering candidate drugs targeting multiple program goals for neurodegenerative diseases and cancer using the SkySTAR technology platform. MSD will obtain exclusive global rights for research, development, and commercialization, and will be responsible for the clinical development and promotion of therapies under investigation. Skyhawk will receive upfront payments, subsequent milestone-based payments, and a share of product sales revenue.

Notably, Skyhawk Therapeutics also announced on the same day an expansion of its collaboration agreement with Biogen. Under the agreement, Biogen will obtain exclusive global development rights beyond the initial collaborative research phase, for candidate drugs intended to treat multiple sclerosis (MS), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and other neurological disorders.

“MSD has long been committed to researching challenging diseases and developing new treatment options for patients,” said Dr. Bill Haney, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Skyhawk Therapeutics. “We look forward to leveraging the SkySTAR technology platform to screen and advance the development of novel drug candidates for MSD, addressing unmet patient needs.”

Dean Y. Li, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Discovery and Translational Medicine at MSD Research Laboratories, also stated that RNA splicing modulation technology has achieved goals previously considered unattainable, and expressed anticipation for exploring the potential of this novel mechanism of action in collaboration with Skyhawk Therapeutics.

References:

[1] Skyhawk Therapeutics Announces Collaboration Agreement with Merck to Discover and Develop Novel Small Molecules that Modulate RNA Splicing. Retrieved July 9, 2019, from https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/skyhawk-therapeutics-announces-collaboration-agreement-with-merck-to-discover-and-develop-novel-small-molecules-that-modulate-rna-splicing/

[2] Skyhawk Therapeutics Announces Expansion of Collaboration Agreement with Biogen. Retrieved July 9, 2019, from https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/skyhawk-therapeutics-announces-expansion-of-collaboration-agreement-with-biogen/

[3] Skyhawk. Retrieved July 9, 2019, from https://www.skyhawktx.com/platform

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