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Roche Adds Ascidian’s RNA-Writing To Its Neurology Push

 
• By Andrew McConaghie

A first big pharma partnership for Ascidian, headed up by ex-Biogen research head Michael Ehlers, as the Swiss firm expands its gene editing and neuroscience efforts.

RNA

Roche is to collaborate with Ascidian Therapeutics to discover and develop novel RNA exon editing therapeutics targeting neurological diseases, in a deal that could be worth up to $1.8bn.

The Boston, MA-based biotech is pioneering a new approach aimed at rewriting exons, the coding sections of RNA that are spliced together as messenger RNA and then translated into protein

Key Takeaways

  • The deal is Ascidian’s first big pharma alliance, but Roche’s fifth in the space

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