Korro Bio and Novo Nordisk have partnered to develop RNA-editing therapies for cardiometabolic diseases using Korro's proprietary OPERATM platform.
The collaboration will focus on advancing RNA-editing product candidates for two undisclosed targets. Novo Nordisk brings its expertise in cardiometabolic disease research and drug development to the collaboration, which aims to explore new treatments for conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
Under the terms of the deal, Korro stands to receive up to $530 million in upfront, development, and commercial milestone payments, along with tiered royalties and research funding. Korro will lead preclinical development of the programs, while Novo Nordisk may advance them to clinical studies.
Korro’s OPERATM platform uses an oligonucleotide-based approach to edit RNA without altering DNA, potentially enabling the treatment of diseases with previously undruggable targets. This approach could provide a titratable and transient method to modulate protein function, with potential applications in high-prevalence conditions like cardiometabolic diseases. RNA editing could offer more precise and tunable treatment options compared to traditional genetic therapies.
The deal reflects a growing interest in RNA editing as a therapeutic approach, offering potential new treatment modalities for chronic conditions. A few weeks ago, Eli Lilly signed a multi-year deal with Switzerland-based Haya Therapeutics to leverage Haya’s RNA-guided regulatory genome platform for preclinical drug discovery in obesity and related metabolic conditions. Haya will receive an upfront payment, with potential milestone payments up to $1 billion, along with royalties on future product sales. Haya's platform focuses on long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) from the dark genome to develop RNA-targeting therapies with potentially better efficacy and reduced toxicity.