Hørsholm, Denmark/San Diego, California & Cambridge, Massachusetts — Santaris Pharma A/S and RaNA Therapeutics, Inc. announced that they have signed an agreement whereby RaNA gains access to Santaris’ Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) technology to develop RNA-targeted medicines. Under the terms of the agreement, Santaris will license its proprietary Locked Nucleic Acid drug technology to RaNA for the development of LNA-based drug candidates against up to 10 RaNA proprietary RNA targets.
Santaris will receive an upfront payment and is eligible for target nomination payments, development milestones and royalties on each product.
For further information please contact:
Santaris
Henrik Stage, President and CEO
Cell: +45 4026 0900
e-mail: hs@santaris.com
About Santaris Pharma A/S
Santaris Pharma A/S is a privately held clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of RNA-targeted therapies. The LNA Drug Platform and Drug Discovery Engine developed by Santaris Pharma A/S combine the company’s proprietary LNA chemistries with its highly specialized and targeted drug development capabilities to rapidly deliver potent single-stranded LNA-based drug candidates across a multitude of disease states. The company’s research and development activities focus on infectious diseases and cardiometabolic disorders, while partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies include a range of therapeutic areas including cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious and inflammatory diseases, and rare genetic disorders. The company has strategic partnerships with Bristol-Myers Squibb, miRagen Therapeutics, Shire PLC, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and Enzon Pharmaceuticals. As part of its broad patent estate, the company holds exclusive worldwide rights to manufacture, have manufactured and sell products that contain LNA as an active ingredient for studies performed with a view to obtaining marketing approval. Santaris Pharma A/S, founded in 2003, is headquartered in Denmark with operations in the United States.
Please visit www.santaris.com for more information.
About RaNA Therapeutics, Inc.
RaNA Therapeutics is pioneering the discovery of a new class of medicines that target RNA to selectively activate protein expression within the body’s own cells. RaNA’s novel drugs work by targeting specific genes to precisely upregulate the expression of beneficial proteins. The company’s leadership leverages preeminent founders and advisors in the field, and the strength of its fundamental patents, technology, and know-how that underlie the discovery and development of therapeutics that selectively activate RNA. RaNA is applying its proprietary technology to rapidly advance a pipeline of novel drugs for diverse therapeutic areas, with an initial emphasis in the fields of rare genetic disorders, inflammation, oncology, metabolic diseases and neurodegenerative diseases. For more information about the company and its drug platform, please visit www.ranarx.com.
About Gilde Healthcare
Gilde Healthcare (Utrecht, The Netherlands and Cambridge, USA) is a transatlantic growth capital investor focused on private healthcare companies. It has over €450 million ($600 million) under management and is actively looking to lead new investments in therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices and healthcare services.
For a list of Gilde’s portfolio companies please visit the website at www.gildehealthcare.com.
Gilde Healthcare II is supported by the European Communities Growth and Employment Initiative, MAP – ETF Start up Facility.