RNA-medicine developer miRecule is teaming up with a Brazilian arm of pharmaceutical group EMS to tackle one of the field’s biggest limitations: getting RNA drugs to reach tissues beyond the liver.
The collaboration pairs miRecule’s NAVIgGator platform for designing precision RNA medicines with the peptide-engineering capabilities of Rio Biofarma Brasil (RBBL), an EMS subsidiary. The goal is peptide-mediated delivery — using peptides to escort RNA therapeutics into cells in tissues that today’s RNA drugs, largely confined to the liver and muscle, cannot easily reach.
What each side brings
miRecule will develop the oligonucleotide (RNA) payloads for up to three targets, while RBBL will manufacture at its facility in Brazil. As part of the deal, RBBL is making an equity investment in miRecule to support the work and the company’s neuromuscular-disease assets; the resulting technology will be jointly owned. Other financial terms were not disclosed.
Why delivery is the bottleneck
RNA therapies have transformed treatment of some liver-based diseases, but expanding them to other organs has been held back by the challenge of delivery. Approaches that widen the reach of RNA drugs — here, via peptides — are a major focus of the field. “Working alongside an organisation with the scale, scientific commitment, manufacturing expertise, and global reputation of EMS-RBBL strengthens our ability to bring transformative technologies closer to patients,” miRecule chief executive Anthony Saleh said. The programs remain early-stage.