BioCentury
ARTICLE | Company News

Regulus, AstraZeneca deal

March 10, 2014 7:00 AM UTC

Regulus disclosed in its 2013 earnings that it and partner AstraZeneca have selected microRNA-103 (miR-103) and miR-107 as targets under a 2012 deal to develop and commercialize preclinical miRNA therapeutics against three targets focused on cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and cancer. The partners are targeting miR-103 and miR-107 to treat metabolic disease. Additionally, the partners have agreed to terminate the program targeting miR-33 to treat atherosclerosis as a collaboration target due to technical challenges with the program and "increasing complexity in the competitive landscape for atherosclerosis." AstraZeneca has a contractual right to substitute a new target for miR-33. Also in its earnings announcement, Regulus disclosed miR-19 as the undisclosed cancer target AstraZeneca selected in October 2013 (see BioCentury, Aug. 20, 2012 & Nov. 4, 2013). ...