Status: 23.09.2021 3:19 p.m.
AstraZeneca is now using the next generation of RNA technology. The British pharmaceutical company agrees a multi-million dollar cooperation with the startup VaxEquity – not only for vaccines.
AstraZeneca is entering into a partnership with the British startup VaxEquity to develop new drugs based on RNA technology. VaxEquity will receive a payment of up to 195 million dollars from AstraZeneca if certain milestones are reached in the course of the cooperation, the group said. In addition, there were license fees for the products.
According to the information, an equity stake was also agreed between AstraZeneca and the life science investor Morningside Ventures. VaxEquity was founded last year by vaccine expert Robin Shattock of Imperial College London.
Messenger RNA
Messenger RNA, or mRNA for short, is a messenger molecule that brings genetic information from the cell nucleus to the ribosomes. These are the areas of the cell in which – according to the instructions for the genetic information – proteins are formed. The vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 use mRNA to stimulate the human body to produce its own antibodies as “drugs” against the coronavirus. Vaccines based on mRNA can be developed, adapted and manufactured more quickly than conventional preparations such as vector or dead vaccines.
Future-oriented technology
The collaboration with VaxEquity adds a promising new platform to AstraZeneca’s drug discovery, says AstraZeneca research director Mene Pangalos. It is the first acquisition for AstraZeneca to gain experience with the new technology and benefit from it. AstraZeneca’s corona vaccine is based on a conventional mode of action. The agent is a so-called vector vaccine based on adenoviruses from monkeys.
Since the vaccine successes of BioNTech / Pfizer and Moderna, RNA technology has been considered to have a particularly promising future and should also be used in other medical areas in the future.
“Self-Amplifying RNA Technology”
Under the agreement, AstraZeneca has the opportunity to work together on 26 drug targets for use in therapeutic areas such as cancer and rare genetic diseases.
The focus of the partnership is the so-called self-reinforcing RNA technology. It works in a similar way to that of the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines from BioNTech / Pfizer and Moderna. However, a self-amplifying RNA vaccine does not only contain the genetic code that allows cells to make targeted proteins. He also makes many copies of the RNA that contains these instructions, so the doses could be smaller and cheaper.