Eli Lilly has partnered with MiNA Therapeutics in order to research and develop novel drug candidates. Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly looks to utilize MiNA’s small activated Ribonucleic acid (saRNA) technology platform to research five unrevealed targets.
According to MiNA Therapeutics, its platform looks to develop new medicines that restore the normal functionality of cells. The saRNA works to restore a cells biology by targeting gene promoters to induce transcriptional gene activation. This process increases protein levels and can affect a variety of genes.
Through this partnership, Lilly will assign MiNA up to five targets to research and Lilly will be responsible for preclinical and clinical development. Lilly has not officially released these targets however, the targeted diseases it will be in the key therapeutics focus areas of Eli Lilly and Company.
MiNA will earn $25 million up front and may also receive development and commercialization milestones of up to $245 million per target. MiNA may receive tiered royalties from product sales, however, Eli Lilly and Company will possess all commercialization rights for product development through this partnership.
Andrew C. Adams, PhD and Vice-president for New Therapeutic Modalities at Lilly stated, “Small activating RNAs are a promising new technology, which will expand the breadth of Lilly's RNA therapeutics platform and the targets we can pursue…We are excited about the potential of combining MiNA's leading saRNA platform and our expertise in new modalities to accelerate development of RNA-based medicines in areas of high unmet medical need."
Robert Habib, CEO of MiNA therapeutics also believes that this partnership will amplify the development of both technology and medicine.
Lilly and MiNA’s collaboration looks to make use of advanced modern technology to unlock treatment options. Lilly's expertise in pharmaceuticals and MiNA’s capable saRNA platform are working to restore patient cells and to offer new knowledge on restoring cell functionality. With new mRNA vaccine technology bringing the applications of RNA-based treatments into the spotlight, Eli Lilly and MiNA Therapeutics are diving into the search for answers and may provide others with new treatment pathways and applications.
