AstraZeneca and MedImmune partner with Ethris on respiratory disease therapies

AstraZeneca and its global biologics research and development arm MedImmune have announced a new respiratory disease alliance with Ethris.

The five-year strategic research collaboration with Ethris will focus on developing new stabilised non-immunogenic modified RNA (mRNA) therapies for respiratory diseases, using Ethris' proprietary SNIM RNA technology.

Seen as a promising new field of research, mRNA therapies deliver genetic instructions to cells to stimulate the production of selected proteins to help prevent or fight diseases. Ethris' proprietary mRNA technology can be targeted to the lungs, where it helps to replace, inhibit or augment proteins involved in causing or exacerbating respiratory disease.

Under the terms of the deal, Ethris will receive 25 million euros (22.79 million pounds) upfront plus research funding, as well as future research and development milestones and royalties. In return, AstraZeneca and MedImmune will receive an option to acquire exclusive worldwide licences for any therapies produced through this collaboration.

Bahija Jallal, executive vice-president of MedImmune, said: "This collaboration complements our respiratory science focused on early intervention and disease modification by adding novel ways to target disease mechanisms that cannot be addressed by other approaches currently in our pipeline."

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