Lilly and Avidity Biosciences Announce Global Collaboration to Develop Novel Genetic Disease Therapies Using Antibody-Oligonucleotide Conjugate (AOC) Platform

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that recently, pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and biotechnology company Avidity Biosciences jointly announced a global licensing and R&D collaboration agreement. The partnership will leverage Avidity Biosciences’ antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate (AOC) technology platform to discover, develop, and commercialize innovative therapies for immunology and other diseases.

Currently, oligonucleotide-based therapies worldwide have demonstrated remarkable efficacy in treating genetic diseases. However, most delivery methods under development by companies are currently limited to delivering oligonucleotides into liver cells, while delivery strategies targeting other tissues have not yet reached maturity. This limitation has, to some extent, restricted the application scope of oligonucleotide therapies.

Oligonucleotide therapy is a form of biological treatment and represents the fourth category of cancer therapy, developed after surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. The therapeutic procedure involves collecting peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from the patient, which are then cultured, expanded, and induced in a GMP-compliant laboratory setting, followed by stimulation with tumor antigens. This process yields dendritic cells (DCs) capable of recognizing cancer cells and cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells with potent tumoricidal activity. These cells are subsequently infused back into the patient in divided doses to effectively inhibit tumor cell growth and eliminate metastatic lesions, thereby preventing and controlling tumor recurrence and metastasis, ultimately achieving the multiple goals of prolonging patient survival and improving quality of life.

Avidity Biosciences is a biotechnology company headquartered in California, USA, dedicated to leveraging the tissue specificity of monoclonal antibodies for the targeted delivery of oligonucleotide-based therapies to treat genetic diseases. According to Crunchbase data, the company previously completed a $30 million financing round with investment from institutions such as Takeda Ventures, Alethea Capital, and Brace Pharma.

Eli Lilly and Company is a biopharmaceutical giant headquartered in Indiana, USA. Founded in 1876, the company is dedicated to the research, development, manufacturing, and sales of pharmaceutical products, as well as providing patients with innovative, drug-based healthcare solutions. With more than 40,000 employees worldwide, Eli Lilly operates R&D centers in eight countries and markets its products in 143 countries and regions globally.

Avidity Biosciences’ AOC technology platform enables the conjugation of oligonucleotides to antibodies. Compared with traditional oligonucleotide therapies, AOCs exhibit improved pharmacokinetic properties and more specific biodistribution, while avoiding the toxic side effects associated with lipid-based delivery of oligonucleotides.

Under the terms of the agreement, Avidity Biosciences will receive a $20 million upfront payment and a $15 million investment. Additionally, the company is eligible for up to $405 million in royalties tied to development, regulatory, and commercialization milestones, as well as sales-based royalties on product revenue.

“We are pleased to enter into a strategic collaboration with Avidity Biosciences to expand the scope of our oligonucleotide research,” said Dr. Andrew C. Adams, Chief Scientific Officer of RNA Therapeutics at Eli Lilly and Company. “Their expertise in combining monoclonal antibodies with oligonucleotide therapies provides new directions for the development of novel RNA therapeutics.”

Kent Hawryluk, Chief Business Officer of Avidity Biosciences, stated, “The collaboration with Eli Lilly provides our company with an excellent opportunity to leverage the AOC platform to develop new therapeutic targets across a range of diseases. Eli Lilly is our ideal partner, and we look forward to establishing a long-term and robust partnership.”

(Compiled by: Feng Yutong)