Genevant aims to advance five to 10 RNA therapeutic candidates into the clinic by 2020, announced Roivant Sciences in a statement.
The Basel-based pharmaceutical company entered into an agreement with Arbutus Biopharma Corporation to launch the jointly-owned company.
Bo Rode Hansen, formerly global head of RNA Therapeutics at Roche, will join Genevant as president, chief scientific officer and head of research and development.
Within the terms of the agreement, Arbutus will license exclusive rights to Genevant for two platforms – Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) and Ligand Conjugate Delivery – to develop therapeutics for genetic diseases.
While working on specific treatments for certain diseases, Genevant will place a greater focus on developing options based on mRNA, RNAi and gene editing, ultimately selecting the most effective therapies.
Genevant will have headquarters in Basel, a U.S. head office in Cambridge and a research and development center in Burnaby in Canada.
