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AstraZeneca, Accent Therapeutics to Create Novel Cancer Therapies
The companies will target RNA modifying proteins to create novel cancer therapies that will provide a new approach for addressing disruptions that could cause resistance to treatment.
AstraZeneca recently partnered with Accent Therapeutics to discover, develop, and commercialize novel cancer therapeutics targeting RNA-modifying proteins (RMPs).
The companies will focus on targeting RMPs proteins that control RNA biology and attempt to address disruptions that can lead to cancer and cause resistance to medicine.
“The promise of RMP inhibition is a compelling area of exploration for AstraZeneca. With this collaboration, we will seek to identify novel targets and unlock the full potential of our medicines,” Jose Baselga, executive vice president, oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, said in the announcement.
“We believe that the Accent team’s expertise in RNA-modifying protein biology and drug discovery complements AstraZeneca’s extensive research and development portfolio.”
Under the terms of the arrangement, Accent Therapeutics will be responsible for research and development of activities for a preclinical program through to the end of Phase I clinical trials, AstraZeneca said.
The company will receive an upfront payment of $55 million and is eligible to receive additional success-based payments across all programs.
AstraZeneca will lead the development and commercialization activities for the program following the clinical trial. Accent will be able to jointly develop and commercialize with AstraZeneca.
“This collaboration leverages both AstraZeneca’s vast cancer expertise and resources and Accent’s rich pipeline of RMP therapeutic programmes to bring new and potentially life-changing medicines to patients,” said Shakti Narayan, chief executive officer, Accent Therapeutics.
“This collaborative effort will enable us to rapidly advance and achieve the rich therapeutic potential of these exciting programmes.”
AstraZeneca will also have the exclusive option to license worldwide rights to two further preclinical discovery programs, for which Accent will conduct certain preclinical activities.
Cell and gene therapy development continues to rapidly increase in the US, which allows patients to receive more individualized treatment for numerous diseases.
Currently, there are 362 investigational cell and gene therapies in clinical development, a 20 percent increase from 2018, according to a recent report from Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
The first cell and gene therapy was approved in 2017. The increasing rate of research and development is enhancing the reality of personalized gene therapy treatments for patients in the near future.
A handful of innovative medicines have previously been approved by the FDA and are currently helping patients. Thus far, the gene or cell therapies have centered on treating cancer, eye diseases, and rare hereditary diseases.
Globally, companies manufacturing gene therapy, cell therapy, and other regenerative medicines raised nearly $10 billion in 2019, the second-highest year on record, a recent analysis from the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) found.
Gene and gene-modified cell therapy raised $7.6 billion, while cell therapy raised $5.1 billion and tissue engineering raised $441 million in 2019.
There were 1,066 clinical trials underway worldwide by the end of 2019, including 352 gene therapies, 452 gene-modified and cell-based IO, 216 cell therapy, and 46 tissue engineering. Researchers expect the number of approved gene therapies to double in the next one to two years.
Researchers highlighted the discovery of a new form of gene editing called prime editing, which could expand the number of diseases addressed worldwide. Two patients have received the CRISPR gene editing so far and have benefited from the treatment.
