AstraZeneca Invests in VaxEquity for saRNA Therapeutics Platform

AstraZeneca and VaxEquity recently collaborated to discover, develop, and commercialize a self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) therapeutics platform. 

The long-term research collaboration aims to optimize VaxEquity’s saRNA platform, developed at Imperial College London, and apply it to advance novel therapeutic programs. 

Under the collaboration, AstraZeneca will support VaxEquity with research and development funding. VaxEquity could receive development, approval, and sales-based milestones totaling nearly $195 million if AstraZeneca chooses to advance any of the programs into its pipeline. 

“We believe self-amplifying RNA, once optimized, will allow us to target novel pathways not amenable to traditional drug discovery across our therapy areas of interest,” Mene Pangalos, executive vice president of biopharmaceuticals research and development at AstraZeneca, said in the announcement. 

In 2020, Imperial College London and Morningside founded VaxEquity based on saRNA technology that Professor Robin Shattock and his colleagues at Imperial College London developed. 

saRNA is a newly discovered platform to develop medicines and vaccines using similar technology to mRNA, but with more ability to self-amplify, resulting in higher protein levels per dose level. 

Higher protein levels per dose allow researchers to deliver saRNA at lower concentrations than conventional mRNA therapeutics, leading to less frequent or lower dosing, lower costs, and a broader range of potential applications, an AstraZeneca spokesperson explained. 

“With our self-amplifying RNA platform, we aim to underpin the next generation of RNA-delivered medicines enabling not only vaccines but also broad range of therapeutics applications,” said Michael Watson, executive chairman of VaxEquity. 

Biotechnology company MiNA Therapeutics is one of the main players in the saRNA space. 

In 2018, MiNA therapeutics conducted the first saRNA clinical trial for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients with promising outcomes. 

And last year, AstraZeneca and MiNA Therapeutics entered into a research collaboration to evaluate saRNA molecules in metabolic diseases. saRNA technology can help to modulate previously undruggable targets.

Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will launch in vitro and in vivo studies that enable future development of saRNA therapeutics to treat metabolic diseases through pathways unable to be addressed by conventional treatment strategies.