VERAXA advances antibody oligonucleotide program

• VERAXA Biotech and Secarna Pharmaceuticals reported an early research milestone in antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate development.
• An AOC candidate showed higher potency than an equivalent unconjugated oligonucleotide in initial in vitro testing.
• The companies stated that they are discussing next steps to advance the AOC collaboration.

VERAXA Biotech (NASDAQ:VRXA) and Secarna Pharmaceuticals announced a research milestone in their collaboration to develop antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates for autoimmune and chronic immune diseases.

The companies reported that an early in vitro proof-of-concept study showed an AOC candidate created using both companies’ technologies had higher potency than the equivalent unconjugated oligonucleotide.

VERAXA stated that the results support the use of its click-chemistry-based conjugation platform in antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate development, while both companies continue evaluating future collaboration steps.

The companies stated that the findings support additional research activities, and following the announcement the VERAXA Biotech share price was unchanged at $XX.

The collaboration combines VERAXA’s conjugation technology with Secarna’s oligonucleotide platform to explore potential treatments for autoimmune and chronic immune conditions.

VERAXA Biotech develops antibody-based medicines using its technology platforms, while Secarna Pharmaceuticals focuses on oligonucleotide therapeutics for disease targets requiring targeted genetic approaches.