Roche’s Genentech unit and GenEdit have entered into a multiyear collaboration and license agreement worth up to $644m to develop novel nanoparticles to deliver genetic medicines for autoimmune diseases.
Both will employ GenEdit’s NanoGalaxy platform to deliver Genentech’s nucleic acid-based medicines for treatment for these types of diseases.
Affecting around 10% of people globally, autoimmune diseases occur when the body’s natural defence system attacks its own cells, such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Under the terms of the agreement, GenEdit will collaborate with Genentech to discover and develop hydrophilic nanoparticles (HNPs) to develop nucleic acid-based medicines for autoimmune indications.
Furthermore, Genentech will be responsible for preclinical, clinical and regulatory development as well as the commercialisation of products that result from the use of GenEdit’s nanoparticles.
Genentech will pay $15m upfront to GenEdit, which will be eligible to receive up to $629m in near-term, preclinical and clinical development, commercial and net sales milestone payments throughout the collaboration, as well as tiered royalties from the resulting products.
GenEdit’s NanoGalaxy platform contains a library of thousands of non-viral, non-lipid HNPs that offer a combination of other delivery methods, including tissue selectivity, payload flexibility, low immunogenicity, the ability to re-dose and ease of manufacturing.
Using iterative screening processes, the platform works to identify polymer nanoparticles that can deliver genetic medicine to the necessary tissues to treat disease.
Kunwoo Lee, chief executive officer of GenEdit, said: “We are excited to work with Genentech to develop novel therapeutics for autoimmune disease.
“This collaboration underscores the promise of GenEdit’s NanoGalaxy platform to deliver nucleic acid-based medicines via our HNP technology.”
The collaboration has “the potential to reshape treatment paradigms to help people with devastating and difficult-to-treat autoimmune [diseases],” said James Sabry, global head of Roche Pharma Partnering.
GenEdit is currently developing its pipeline of therapeutic candidates that target the nervous system to treat a range of diseases with high unmet medical needs.
Most recently, the company also announced $24m in series A1 financing to support the continued development of the NanoGalaxy platform as well as its pipeline of preclinical therapeutic candidates.