Olix Secures Core Technology for RNA Interference-Based Liver Disease Treatment Platform

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Olix announced on the 30th that it has signed an exclusive worldwide license agreement to acquire the patent rights and know-how of the N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc, hereinafter Galnak) conjugation technology, which can deliver nucleic acid therapeutics to liver tissue, from US-based AM Chemical for the development of asymmetric siRNA platform-based liver disease therapeutics.

Olix is an RNA interference platform technology company. It is developing RNA interference therapeutics that suppress the expression of disease-causing genes and is the first company in Asia to enter clinical trials with its own core technology. Olix possesses the 'self-delivering asymmetric RNA interference core technology (cp-asiRNA),' which can be delivered into cells without the help of separate delivery vehicles through chemical modification. Currently, it is developing more than 10 new drug programs for locally administrable diseases such as hypertrophic scars, macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and hair loss. In March last year, it signed a technology transfer agreement with the French ophthalmology company Thea for the European rights to a macular degeneration treatment.

Olix’s decision to adopt Galnak technology reflects its intention to actively enter the development of liver disease therapeutics, including cardiovascular and metabolic diseases that are currently attracting global pharmaceutical companies’ attention, beyond the locally administered therapeutics it has been developing. Donggi Lee, CEO of Olix, said, "The delivery of siRNA to liver tissue using Galnak technology was validated by the FDA approval of Alnylam’s acute hepatic porphyria treatment Givosiran, and it is a technology that leading RNA interference companies are currently focusing on for new drug development." He added, "Not only Alnylam but also RNA interference companies such as Arrowhead and Dicerna have signed large-scale technology transfer agreements worth trillions of won with global pharmaceutical companies based on Galnak-conjugated liver tissue delivery technology."

He explained, "Through this exclusive technology acquisition contract from AMC, Olix has secured its own liver delivery technology, achieving a technically equivalent level to the world’s leading RNA interference companies, and has secured a favorable position in ongoing platform technology transfer negotiations with multiple global pharmaceutical companies."

Under this agreement, Olix will receive Galnak-phosphoramidite and controlled pore glasses (CPGs) from AMC for the synthesis of Galnak-asymmetric siRNA. AMC will receive upfront payments and milestone payments as well as royalties depending on the progress of development.

CEO Lee said, "We consider the introduction of AMC’s nucleic acid therapeutic liver delivery technology a great opportunity," and added, "By combining AMC’s Galnak-conjugation technology with Olix’s asymmetric siRNA, we will greatly accelerate the development of effective targeted therapeutics for various intractable liver diseases."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.