AstraZeneca plc. (ADR)(NYSE:AZN) has inked a strategic collaboration agreement with Ethris for the development of mRNA-based respiratory disease therapies. The five-year strategic collaboration seeks to leverage Ethris proprietary Stabilized Non-Immunogenic mRNA technology.
AstraZeneca-Ethris Collaboration
Under the terms of the agreement, Ethris is to work exclusively with AstraZeneca and its MedImmune and Innovative Medicine unit to come up with multiple targets against asthma, obstructive pulmonary disease, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The company is also to receive $29.5 million in upfront payment plus research funding.
AstraZeneca and MedImmune will exclusively license each target developed under the collaboration upon completion. By focusing on RNA therapies, the companies hope to come up with therapies that can handle hard to treat diseases from cancers to heart and kidney disorders.
“This collaboration complements our respiratory science focused on early intervention and disease modification by adding novel ways to target disease mechanisms that cannot be addressed by other approaches currently in our pipeline,” said Dr. Carsten Rudolph, Ph.D. Ethris CEO.
AstraZeneca investment in mRNA based therapies does not come as a surprise as they have been found to be reliable in instructing body cells in patients to produce therapeutic proteins. Last year, the giant drug maker invested $140 million in messenger RNA specialist Modern Therapeutics.
Champions Oncology Collaboration
In addition to the Ethris investment, AstraZeneca has also inked a strategic collaboration with cancer specialist Champions Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ:CSBR). The pair will work on the development of novel cohorts of Xenograft cancer models. Head of oncology at AstraZeneca, Steve Fawell expects the collaboration to accelerate the development and characterization of tumor models in drug refractory and drug-resistant state.
AstraZeneca plans to use the models in its breast and lung cancer research and development programs. It will also add the models to its existing TumorGraft bank for academic and industry customers. The novel models are also expected to expand Champions Oncology bank of estrogen-receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer models.
The investment drive comes at a time when AstraZeneca is trying to pick itself up from a negative readout of its lung cancer drugs that triggered its biggest single day share price drop last month.
AstraZeneca was down by 0.55% in Monday’s trading session to end the day at $28.96 a share.
