Gatehouse Bio Extends Its Partnership with AstraZeneca to Develop RNA Therapeutics for Heart Failure

Gatehouse Bio, a pioneer in small RNA therapeutics, and AstraZeneca, a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company, are advancing their partnership, to create RNA therapeutics for the treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

HFpEF is a heterogenous condition complicated by multiple interrelated diseases. In a prior study, Gatehouse Bio discovered mutations in small RNA genes that correlate to microvascular dysfunction and were predicted to regulate biological pathways associated with the clinical syndrome. “Our ability to identify small RNA mutations opens a novel class of targetable biology and an opportunity for a portfolio of oligonucleotide therapeutics that target specific groups of patients,” said Neal Foster, CBO at Gatehouse Bio.

This collaboration brings together AstraZeneca’s scientific expertise and investment in RNA therapeutics with Gatehouse Bio’s ability to design disease modifying small RNA compounds. The collaboration is expected to accelerate the development of a broad range of novel therapeutics leveraging the unexplored small non-coding area of the genome.

Dr. David W. Salzman, CEO of Gatehouse Bio comments: “Over the last 3 years we’ve been characterizing small RNA mutations and developing knowledge graphs to model their role in disease. The collaboration with AstraZeneca moves us closer towards realizing our vision of bringing therapeutics from discovery to patients.”

Dr. Shalini Andersson, Vice President of Oligonucleotide Discovery at AstraZeneca comments: “Gatehouse Bio’s expertise and platform in small RNA together with our own scientific expertise presents a significant opportunity for targeting the drivers of disease in heart failure. Together, we are steadily closing the gap between RNA modality, AI, and disease biology with the shared goal of discovering and developing novel treatments in heart failure.”