Shape Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company developing RNA technologies to shape the future of gene therapy, has announced a multi-target strategic collaboration and license agreement with Roche.
 
Through this partnership, ShapeTX will apply its proprietary RNA editing platform RNAfix and potentially leverage its AAVid technology platform for next-generation tissue-specific adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) for the development of gene therapy for certain targets in the areas of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and rare diseases.
 
During the course of the partnership, ShapeTX will conduct preclinical research to identify and deliver development candidates discovered by its AI-powered platforms RNAfix and, potentially, AAVid. Roche will be responsible for the development and worldwide commercialization of any potential products resulting from the collaboration.
 
“Our mission at ShapeTX is to unlock the next breakthrough in RNA technologies in the gene therapy space across a wide range of therapeutic areas,” said Francois Vigneault, PhD, co-founder and chief executive officer of ShapeTX. “The relationship with Roche quickly centered on a common desire to tackle some of the world’s most challenging diseases by accelerating the development of breakthrough technologies towards the clinic.”
 
“We are excited by the disruptive potential of ShapeTX’s RNA-editing approach based on nature’s own mechanism for specific base editing. This new collaboration is also perfectly aligned with our broader efforts across the Roche Group to unlock the full potential of gene therapy,” said James Sabry, head of Roche Pharma Partnering. “We look forward to working with ShapeTX to create novel treatment options for neuroscience and rare disease indications.”
 
Under the terms of the agreement, ShapeTX is eligible to receive an initial payment as well as development, regulatory and sales milestone payments, potentially exceeding $3 billion in aggregate value. ShapeTX is also eligible to receive tiered royalties on future sales of products resulting from the collaboration.