Roche Pays $190M to Start RNA Drug Alliance With Arrakis Therapeutics
Summary
The cash, an upfront payment to Waltham, MA-based Arrakis, kicks off a research partnership set up to feed new drug candidates into the Roche pipeline. The therapeutic areas covered under the alliance weren’t specified, but Arrakis CEO Michael Gilman says they encompass the scope of Roche’s research and development work, which includes cancer, infectious disease, neuroscience, and more. By developing small molecules that bind to RNA, Arrakis aims to hit disease targets that had previously been considered “undruggable.” Gilman tells Xconomy that Arrakis (named for the desert planet in the novel Dune) started exploring potential partnerships about a year ago, soon after the company completed a $75 million Series B round of funding. Durham, NC-based Ribometrix, which emerged with $30 million in financing in 2018, is developing potential medicines under a partnership with Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX). Skyhawk Therapeutics of Cambridge, MA, is developing RNA-targeting small molecule drugs under a partnership with Roche subsidiary Genentech.
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