- Rona Therapeutics announced it has granted Roche an exclusive worldwide license for Rona's investigational RNAi candidate targeting activin receptor-like kinase 7 (ALK7) utilizing the company's proprietary extrahepatic delivery platform.

ALK7, encoded by the ACVR1C gene, is predominantly expressed in adipose tissue and is a genetically validated target for obesity and metabolic diseases. Inhibition of ALK7 by directly targeting adipocytes has the potential to selectively reduce visceral and other ectopic fat depots while preserving lean mass, offering a differentiated approach that may be complementary to incretin-based therapies.

"Obesity is a complex chronic disease with significant unmet medical needs for new mechanisms that can improve the quality and durability of weight loss," said Stella Shi, CEO and Founder of Rona Therapeutics. "ALK7 is a compelling obesity and metabolic disease target with the potential to directly address adipose tissue biology. Rona Therapeutics is committed to discover and develop novel RNAi therapies to benefit patients with obesity and metabolic diseases globally. This collaboration combines Rona's pioneering extrahepatic RNAi R&D platform with Roche's strong expertise and commitment in global development and commercialization of medicines for the treatment of obesity and metabolic diseases to bring this important therapeutic candidate to patients."

"Obesity represents a significant health challenge that requires differentiated treatment options for patients," said Boris L. Zaïtra, Head of Corporate Business Development at Roche. "We are excited to partner with Rona Therapeutics, complementing our robust CVRM pipeline and reinforcing our commitment to delivering next-generation metabolic therapies."

Under the terms of the agreement, Rona will receive upfront and near-term milestone payments of up to $100M and is eligible to receive up to $1.06 billion in potential development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties on global net sales.