SanegeneBio, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing RNAi therapeutics, has entered into a global research and licensing collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company to advance RNAi candidates for metabolic diseases.

The partnership will leverage SanegeneBio’s proprietary Ligand and Enhancer Assisted Delivery (LEAD) platform — a tissue-selective delivery technology with the potential to create breakthrough RNAi therapies for metabolic diseases, designed for subcutaneous administration as infrequently as twice per year. 

Under the agreement, SanegeneBio will lead the discovery and identification of optimised LEAD-based RNAi molecule for each programme, while Lilly will handle the subsequent IND-enabling studies, clinical development and commercialisation.

Weimin Wang, CEO and Founder of SanegeneBio, said, "Partnering with Lilly represents a strong validation of our innovative and differentiated LEAD platform for tissue-selective delivery of RNAi medicines. We look forward to working closely with Lilly, a global leader in innovation for metabolic diseases, to unlock novel approaches for the treatment of metabolic disorders and to advance durable, disease-modifying therapies for patients worldwide.”

Under the terms of the deal, SanegeneBio will receive an upfront payment and equity investment, along with near-term milestone payments. The company will also be eligible to receive up to USD 1.2 billion in discovery, development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties on future product sales.

Founded in 2021, SanegeneBio is a venture-backed, fully integrated biotechnology company with R&D operations in Boston, Shanghai, and Suzhou. The company, led by a team of RNAi veterans, has initiated clinical trials for four experimental medicines and is focused on developing best-in-class and first-in-class RNAi therapeutics using its LEAD technology.