OliX secures option deal with Key2Brain for BBB shuttle platform

OliX Pharmaceuticals, a drug company based on RNA interference (RNAi) technology, announced Tuesday that it has signed a “Delivery Technology Evaluation and Technology Licensing Option Agreement” with Key2Brain AB, a Swedish biotech company, to develop treatments for central nervous system (CNS) disorders.

With this agreement, OliX plans to significantly expand its presence in the CNS field -- a core pillar of its mid- to long-term business model, the “OliX 2.0 Roadmap” -- into a future growth engine. It also aims to accelerate the establishment of an siRNA platform capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to target CNS diseases.

OliX Pharmaceuticals headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province (Courtesy of OliX Pharmaceuticals)

Key2Brain views oligonucleotides as a strategically important therapeutic modality and emphasized that, based on strengthened internal capabilities and recent key talent acquisitions, it is advancing the development of CNS-targeted oligonucleotide therapeutics through both its own research and partnerships.

Under this agreement, the two companies will jointly develop conjugates combining Key2Brain's proprietary BBB shuttle technology with OliX's CNS siRNA candidates. This will enable collaborative research, based on a substance evaluation agreement, to assess drug-delivery efficacy and technical suitability in CNS tissues, OliX said.

Furthermore, this agreement features an option structure that gives OliX the right to apply the technology to specific CNS-related targets during the joint research period, while leaving open the possibility of acquiring exclusive rights in the future.

If the research confirms the technology's suitability and efficacy, OliX will have the option to exercise its right to a worldwide exclusive license for the conjugate combining its siRNA candidate with Key2Brain’s transferrin receptor (TfR)-targeted BBB shuttle platform, in accordance with the contract structure.

According to OliX, Key2Brain possesses a next-generation, small, single-domain antibody (VHH)-based BBB shuttle targeting TfR. TfR is highly expressed in brain capillary endothelial cells and is considered one of the most actively researched and developed receptors for BBB shuttle applications in the CNS drug-delivery field.

Key2Brain's BBB shuttle platform utilizes VHH-based delivery vehicles engineered for structural stability, design flexibility, and interspecies reactivity. It is applied to deliver various therapeutic molecules, including enzymes, antibodies, peptides, and oligonucleotides, to the brain. Key2Brain has demonstrated robust intracerebral delivery efficiency and target-binding potential in preclinical models.

This BBB shuttle platform is currently utilized in multiple programs, including Key2Brain's own research and global partnerships. Additionally, Key2Bain (corrected to Key2Brain) has secured proprietary half-life extension technology to enhance drug persistence in vivo and is applying it to select programs, OliX explained.

This agreement is part of OliX's strategy to proactively secure BBB shuttle technology for the development of siRNA-based CNS disease therapeutics. OliX is accelerating the establishment of its siRNA-based CNS delivery platform by pursuing collaborations with companies that possess differentiated BBB shuttle technologies. Specifically, by leveraging cooperative models with option structures such as this agreement, OliX aims to strengthen its competitiveness in the field of siRNA-based CNS disease therapeutics.

“We are pleased to introduce differentiated BBB shuttle technology into our CNS delivery strategy through this collaboration with Key2Brain AB,” OliX Pharmaceuticals CEO Lee Dong-ki said. “As CNS delivery technology is an area requiring long-term validation, it is crucial to proactively secure BBB shuttle technology with high clinical applicability, such as that from Key2Brain.”

CEO Lee added, “We are pursuing sustainable growth over the medium to long term by building a portfolio aligned with next-generation global trends, with our CNS-targeted delivery platform as a core strategy under the ‘OliX 2.0’ roadmap. In line with this strategy, we are actively engaging in broad discussions with various Korean and foreign partners regarding our BBB shuttle technology.”

Elisabet Sjöström, founder and CEO of Key2Brain AB, stated, "This partnership demonstrates growing confidence in Key2Brain's technology from leading global pharmaceutical and biotech companies and represents one of several efforts to expand the BBB platform into a new therapeutic modality."

CEO Sjöström added, “We are encouraged to explore new modalities suitable for brain-targeted platforms through our collaboration with OliX. Our goal is to combine Key2Brain's next-generation BBB delivery technology with OliX's innovative RNAi technology to enable the delivery of RNA therapeutics to patients with central nervous system disorders that were previously difficult to treat."