Japan-based pharmaceutical company Ono Pharmaceutical has partnered with US-based biotechnology company Jorna Therapeutics to develop novel RNA-editing therapeutics.
Initially announced in December last year, the drug discovery collaboration leverages Jorna’s in-house RNA editing platform.
It allows Ono Pharma to explore nucleic acid sequences as potential drug candidates, enhancing its capabilities in the pharmaceutical sector.
Under the collaboration, Jorna will use its advanced AI model, SkyEngine, which is based on quantum mechanics-based AI, to design RNA editing drug sequences.
Ono Pharma holds exclusive rights to discover, develop, and commercialise these drug candidates globally, strengthening its position in the RNA therapeutics market.
The agreement includes an upfront payment to Jorna, alongside research funding and milestone payments contingent on research progress.
Ono Pharmaceutical discovery and research executive director Seishi Katsumata said: “We highly value Jorna’s unique generative AI technologies, which combine large-scale amino acid sequence information and language models to design desired proteins.
“Through this partnership, we aim to accelerate drug development using RNA editing technology and provide new treatment options to patients around the world with unmet medical needs.”
Jorna Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing technologies to introduce mutations into target RNA.
By employing AI models and high-throughput systems, Jorna offers advanced treatments for patients lacking therapeutic options, advancing the field of RNA therapeutics.
Its RNA editing platform SkyEngine introduces edits to target RNAs with high efficiency and safety and analyses interatomic interactions to design precise protein sequences.
Jorna founder and CEO Chengwei Luo said: “We are delighted to collaborate with Ono to advance our shared vision of delivering groundbreaking therapies to patients.
“This partnership is expected to accelerate efforts to bring RNA editing-based therapies to market by leveraging Ono’s global resources and expertise.”
Last year, Ono Pharma entered a drug discovery collaboration with Congruence Therapeutics to develop novel small-molecule correctors against multiple protein targets.
Under the collaboration, Ono will use Revenir, Congruence’s proprietary drug discovery platform that captures the dynamic biophysical changes in proteins caused by mutations.
