Skyhawk inks deal with Sanofi for oncology and immunology targets

Privately-held US biotech Skyhawk Therapeutics has announced an exclusive worldwide collaboration agreement with French pharma major Sanofi (Euronext: SAN) to discover and develop novel small molecules that modulate RNA splicing for challenging oncology and immunology targets.

Global head of research and chief scientific officer of Sanofi, Frank Nestle, commented: "We look forward to this collaboration with Skyhawk, a pioneer in developing novel small molecules that modulate critical RNA splice sites. Skyhawk's SkySTAR platform integrating proprietary computational biology tools, kinetic models, and conformational structural models of RNA, offers an exciting opportunity to build drugs that treat

Bill Haney, chief executive of Skyhawk Therapeutics, added:  "Sanofi is a global leader in the development and commercialization of innovative therapies, and we look forward to working with their talented team to build novel small molecule therapeutics that modify RNA splicing for the treatment of critical diseases of high unmet need. We are excited to develop drugs for challenging targets with Sanofi and look forward to working together on these potentially first- and best-in-class programs."