Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp. has entered a licensing and collaboration agreement with Dicerna Pharmaceuticals for its lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery technology for exclusive use in Dicerna’s hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) development program.
 
Tekmira will receive $2.5 million upfront and $22 million in aggregate development milestones, plus a royalty on future PH1 sales. Also, under a supply agreement, Tekmira will provide clinical drug supply and regulatory support for the advancement of the product candidate.
 
Dicerna will use Tekmira’s third generation LNP technology for delivery of DCR-PH1, a dicer substrate RNA (DsiRNA) molecule for the treatment of PH1, a rare, inherited liver disorder that often results in kidney failure.
 
“This new agreement validates our leadership position in RNAi delivery with LNP technology, and it underscores the significant value we can bring to partners who leverage our technology. Our LNP technology is enabling the most advanced applications of RNAi therapeutics in the clinic, and it continues to do so. We are excited to be working with Dicerna to be able to advance a needed therapeutic for the treatment of PH1,” said Dr. Mark J. Murray, Tekmira’s president and chief executive officer.
 
“Dicerna is focused on realizing the full clinical potential of our proprietary pipeline of highly targeted RNAi therapies by applying proven technologies,” said Douglas Fambrough, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Dicerna. “By drawing on Tekmira’s extensive and deep experience with lipid nanoparticle delivery to the liver, the agreement will streamline the development path for DCR-PH1. We look forward to initiating Phase 1 trials of DCR-PH1 in 2015, aiming to fill a high unmet medical need for patients with PH1.”