BeiGene and InnoRNA have announced a research collaboration to discover and develop novel mRNA therapies.
The companies will jointly research a number of mRNA-LNP programmes, using InnoRNA’s LNP-based delivery technology and mRNA drug discovery along with BeiGene’s innovative technology platform to develop mRNA-based therapeutics.
As part of the agreement, InnoRNA will receive an upfront cash payment from BeiGene and will be eligible for additional payments based on future milestones, as well as tiered royalties. BeiGene will hold exclusive global development and commercialisation rights for the jointly discovered mRNA-LNP therapies.
Commenting on the collaboration, Lai Wang, global head of R&D at BeiGene, said: “As a global biotechnology company, BeiGene is committed to delivering next-generation therapies through our own internal discovery engine and leveraging cutting-edge technology from experienced and innovative partners.
“This collaboration with InnoRNA advances and supports our research efforts in the important field of mRNA therapies while securing critical, proprietary delivery tools.”
Earlier this year, InnoRNA raised $120m in a Series B funding to continue to expand the technology boundaries of mRNA drug R&D based on its technology platform.
Linxian Li, founder and chief executive officer of InnoRNA, said: “We are very excited to partner with BeiGene to discover and develop innovative mRNA therapies as well as contribute our LNP technology to BeiGene’s internal research.
“As evidenced by the success of multiple COVID-19 vaccines, mRNA and LNPs will likely play a major role in the future of drug development, potentially in broad fields beyond vaccines. Joining this collaboration with BeiGene represents a big step forward toward this vision for our company.”
Last month, BeiGene announced positive results from a phase 3 trial showing tislelizumab plus chemotherapy significantly improved overall survival for patients with advanced esophageal cancer, regardless of PD-L1 status. The company has already secured approval for the PD-1 inhibitor in China for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), classical Hodgkin lymphoma, liver cancer hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and PD-L1-high urothelial carcinoma.
Also in June, the company announced that its BTK inhibitor Brukinsa (zanubrutinib) was approved by the ministry of Health in Kuwait, the National Health Regulatory Authority in Bahrain and the Ministry of Public Health in Qatar for the treatment of adult patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) who have received at least one prior therapy.