Roche Partners with Ascidian Therapeutics for $1.8B RNA Editing Deal Targeting Neurological Diseases

Jun 18, 2024, 12:53 PM

Swiss drugmaker Roche has announced a collaboration with Boston-based biotech startup Ascidian Therapeutics to develop RNA editing-based gene therapies targeting difficult-to-treat neurological diseases. Roche will pay Ascidian $42 million upfront, with the potential for up to $1.8 billion in research and development and commercial milestones. This partnership marks Roche's deeper foray into RNA therapeutics, focusing on exon editing rather than DNA modification. The collaboration aims to leverage Ascidian's RNA exon editing technology and Roche's next-generation CNS delivery capabilities. The deal is a significant step in the field of RNA writing.