Hamburg - NEUWERK has advised Secarna Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focusing on the discovery and development of next-generation antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapies, on a large-volume research, development and licensing agreement for an oligonucleotide with Denali Therapeutics, a leading publicly traded U.S.
biotechnology company.
As part of the collaboration, Secarna will employ its commercially validated discovery and development platform, LNAplus™ to generate antisense oligonucleotide candidates against targets relevant for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Denali will apply its blood-brain barrier (BBB) Transport Vehicle (TV) technology to enable delivery of these LNAplus™ -based ASOs to the central nervous system.
Under the terms of the agreement, Secarna will receive an undisclosed target-based technology access fee and prepaid R&D fee. Secarna is also eligible to receive development milestone payments, commercial milestone payments, and tiered royalties for each program that Denali progresses through development and commercialization.
Börge Seeger, licensing specialist and partner at NEUWERK in Hamburg: ''This is our first out-licensing project with Secarna - we are pleased to have accompanied the company in such an important collaboration".
About Secarna Pharmaceuticals
Secarna Pharmaceuticals is the leading independent European next-generation antisense drug discovery and development company addressing high unmet medical needs in immuno-oncology, immunology, as well as viral, neurodegenerative and cardiometabolic diseases. Secarna’s mission is to maximize the performance and output of its proprietary LNAplus™ antisense oligonucleotide discovery platform, as well as to develop highly specific, safe, and efficacious best-in-class antisense therapies. With over 15 development programs, including both proprietary pipeline projects and partnered programs, Secarna focuses on targets in indications where antisense-based approaches have clear potential benefits over other therapeutic modalities.
Advisors for Secarna Pharmaceuticals: NEUWERK, Hamburg Börge Seeger, MLE, JSM, CLP (transaction lead, partner) Dr. Jonas Welge (Associate)
About NEUWERK: NEUWERK was founded in 2016 by lawyers from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and ROXIN in Hamburg. NEUWERK brings together specialists from the fields of labor law, corporate law/M&A, IP/IT, real estate law, litigation and white-collar criminal law/criminal compliance.
Press contact: For further questions please contact Dr. Sebastian Naber (sebastian.naber@neuwerk.legal), T +49 40 340 5757-30.
NEUWERK Rechtsanwälte PartG mbB, Gänsemarkt 35, 20354 Hamburg, Germany www.neuwerk.legal