Suzhou Ribo Life Science Co., Ltd. and Ribocure AB entered into a collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim to develop novel treatments for nonalcoholic or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (NASH/MASH). The partnership brings together Ribo’s discovery and clinical development of small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutics with Boehringer’s  cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic diseases (CRM) expertise.

Ribo will receive an upfront payment and success-based milestones for clinical, regulatory, and commercial success as well as royalties, with an overall deal value that exceeds $2 billion.

Ribo’s RIBO-GalSTAR platform enables the development of RNAi therapeutics targeting disease-causing genes specifically in hepatocytes by silencing their messenger RNAs (mRNAs). This approach has the potential to treat diseases addressing previously inaccessible drug targets.

“We look forward to working with the scientists from Ribo to develop new breakthrough medicines for patients with NASH,” said Søren Tullin, senior vice president, and global head of cardiometabolic diseases research, Boehringer Ingelheim. “This new partnership is part of our commitment to collaborate with peers worldwide to address the interconnected nature of CRM diseases. Our goal is to develop the next wave of innovative medicines that will lead to a holistic health gain for patients.”

Zicai Liang, CEO of Ribo Life Sciences said, “This collaboration represents a strong endorsement of the many years of investment and scientific discovery built into Ribo’s platform. We are very pleased about the opportunity to work with Boehringer Ingelheim to develop new solutions for people living with NASH.”