AbbVie and Anima Biotech Announce Collaboration for the Discovery and Development of mRNA Biology Modulators

AbbVie and Anima Biotech (Anima) today announced a collaboration to discover and develop mRNA biology modulators for three targets across Oncology and Immunology. Anima Biotech will use its mRNA Lightning platform to discover novel mRNA biology modulators against the collaboration targets providing AbbVie exclusive rights to license and further develop and commercialize the programs.

“This collaboration will give AbbVie access to Anima’s leading technology platform and deep expertise in mRNA biology and will help further strengthen AbbVie’s world-class capabilities in discovering and developing drugs to make a difference in patient’s lives,” said Jonathon Sedgwick, Ph.D., vice president and global head of discovery research, AbbVie. “Modulating mRNA biology with small molecules is a new approach and has the potential to address ‘undruggable’ targets with implications across multiple therapy areas.”

“Anima’s differentiated approach in the field of small molecule mRNA drugs combines phenotypic screening with AI-driven elucidation of the mechanisms of action. The power of our mRNA Lightning platform is validated by our multiple partnerships and a growing internal pipeline,” said Yochi Slonim, co-founder and chief executive officer, Anima. “We are excited to partner with AbbVie, a recognized global leader in Oncology and Immunology, and are looking forward to start working with their excellent scientific team in a close collaboration.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Anima will receive an upfront payment of $42 million and may be eligible to receive up to $540 million in option fees and research and development milestones in the aggregate across the three targets, with potential for further commercial milestones as well as tiered royalties on net sales. AbbVie has an option to expand the collaboration with up to three additional targets under the same terms as the initial collaboration, which may increase the potential value of the collaboration.