Biotech Veteran Launches RNAi Startup

City Therapeutics has launched with $135 million in financing and a vision to lead the future of RNA interference (RNAi)-based medicine. Led by executive chair John Maraganore, founding CEO of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, the startup aims to harness next-generation engineering of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) – the “trigger” molecules that mediate RNAi – to build a robust and sustainable product engine and expand the therapeutic reach of RNAi-based medicines.

City Therapeutics is building a pipeline of innovative RNAi therapeutics, with its lead program expected to enter clinical development at or around the end of 2025. Thereafter, the company’s product engine is aimed at delivering a sustainable flow of high impact RNAi-based medicines, with one to two new Investigational New Drug applications (INDs) per year starting in 2026.

“At Alnylam, we launched the birth of RNAi therapeutics as a new class of medicines, making a profound difference in the lives of patients with unmet needs. We see the potential for RNAi to emerge as the next major category of high-impact medicines, rivaling if not exceeding the success of monoclonal antibodies. New innovation is needed to realize this future, and we believe City Therapeutics can lead this next chapter,” said Maraganore. “To unlock the full potential of RNAi-based medicines, we will utilize next-generation engineering technologies to advance innovations in siRNA design, delivery and targeting that enable improved potency and specificity, broader access across more tissue types, and expanded opportunities in multiple therapeutic areas. We are excited to launch City Therapeutics to lead the future of RNAi-based medicines.” (Source: City Therapeutics Website, 08 October, 2024)