Repair Biotechnologies has joined forces with Swiss company Genevant Sciences to gain access to Genevant’s lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology delivery system. Repair will specifically use this technology to support its cholesterol-degrading treatments, particularly for cholesterol-degrading mRNA targeting atherosclerosis plaques.
According to the agreement, in return for each product developed using the technology, Genevant will receive up to $107 million in upfront and contingent milestone payments.
The company will also gain additional tiered royalties on future product sales. Repair will receive a nonexclusive worldwide license to some of Genevant’s LNP technology, which it will leverage to create treatments for a specified field, including atherosclerosis.
In April, Repair announced that in a study with mice, the LNP-mRNA combination positively impacted aortic obstructions and stamina levels. According to their observations, rodents suffering from atherosclerosis that were treated with the combination experienced a 17% reduction in aortic obstructions and demonstrated increased endurance on treadmills. Repair credits the mRNA technology in its therapies for enabling cells to repair problematic cholesterol.
“Our Cholesterol Degrading Platform enables us to produce therapies designed to reverse the progression of conditions such as atherosclerosis, which are driven by localized accumulations of excess cholesterol in the body. Our first CDP mRNA therapy targets atherosclerosis, and as with all mRNA-based approaches, delivery is essential to achieving therapeutic benefit,” said Reason, co-founder and CEO of Repair.
James Heyes, Chief Scientific Officer of Genevant Sciences, also expressed his satisfaction with the collaboration. He stated that without efficient delivery, the development of successful mRNA and other nucleic acid-based therapies cannot take place, and as a pioneer in LNP technology, Genevant is uniquely positioned to assist companies like Repair in achieving their goals.
Apart from Repair, other biotech companies have been pursuing Genevant’s technology. Tome, Takeda, and Gritstone have all signed deals with the nucleic acid delivery firm, with Gritstone having extensive experience with Genevant from when it licensed its technology to create an mRNA COVID vaccine.
Although Tome has recently been laying off staff and reducing its operating footprint, at the beginning of the year, it entered into a deal worth $114 million with Genevant to develop a gene therapy for a rare liver disorder.
In its partnership with Takeda, valued at over $900 million, the companies teamed up to tackle similar rare liver diseases. The most recent collaboration between Genevant and vaccine maker Gritstone has focused on developing RNA vaccines by tapping into Genevant’s existing portfolio. For each product developed under this partnership, milestone payments could reach as high as $136 million.
Repair Biotechnologies, a preclinical technology company, focuses on aging-related and cholesterol diseases. The company’s Cholesterol Degrading Platform (CDP) aims to develop therapies with the intent of reversing conditions where excess or modified cholesterol drives pathology, including atherosclerosis and familial hypercholesterolemia. Meanwhile, Genevant Sciences is a leading nucleic acid delivery company with an expansive LNP patent portfolio, responsible for the first and only approved systemic RNA-LNP product (patisiran).
Repair Biotechnologies to Leverage Genevant Sciences’ LNP Technology for Atherosclerosis Treatment
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