Almirall has announced a new multi-target alliance with etherna to discover and develop new mRNA-based therapies to treat dermatological diseases.
The alliance will combine mRNA and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology to accelerate the discovery of new treatments for severe skin diseases, including non-melanoma skin cancer.
Estimated to affect 1.8 billion people worldwide, dermatological diseases consist of conditions that irritate, clog or damage the skin.
The companies will utilise etherna’s proprietary mRNA capabilities and LNP formulations with Almirall’s expertise in medical dermatology.
Both will work together on research activities, while Almirall will be responsible for leading clinical development and commercialisation.
The mRNA/LNP technology platform company’s delivery of LNP-formulated mRNA for transient and local translation of therapeutic proteins works to encode multiple therapeutically active components within a single treatment.
Under the terms of the agreement, etherna will receive an upfront and technology access payment from Almirall, as well as up to €300m in success-based development and commercial milestone payments contingent upon the launch and commercial success of several products.
In addition to this, etherna will also be eligible to receive tiered royalties based upon future global sales.
Dr Karl Ziegelbauer, chief scientific officer of Almirall, said: “At Almirall, we always look for new solutions for patients suffering from skin diseases and we are thrilled about the strategic alliance with etherna to strengthen our pipeline with mRNA-based assets.”
Bernard Sagaert, chief executive officer of etherna, commented: “Intradermal application of LNP-formulated mRNA is a highly promising strategy to bring novel, efficacious new treatment options that will deliver huge benefits to patients.”
In November, Almirall announced a drug discovery partnership with Absci worth over $650m, utilising Absci’s Integrated Drug Creation platform to develop and commercialise artificial intelligence (AI)-designed treatments for dermatological diseases.
Earlier this month, Almirall announced a new partnership with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center-Centro Nacional de Supercomputatión and Nostrum Biodiscovery to find new therapies to treat dermatological diseases.
For the next three years, the ARTIBAND collaboration will explore AI and machine learning tools to design new protein-protein modulators for new therapies to treat several skin conditions.