Rona Therapeutics has granted Roche an exclusive worldwide license to an investigational RNA interference therapy targeting activin receptor-like kinase 7, or ALK7, for obesity and metabolic diseases. The agreement carries potential payments exceeding $1 billion, alongside royalties on future sales.
Under the terms, Rona will receive upfront and near-term milestone payments of up to $100 million. It is also eligible for up to $1.06 billion in development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, plus tiered royalties on global net sales.
The candidate uses Rona’s proprietary extrahepatic delivery platform, which is designed to deliver RNA therapies to tissues beyond the liver. Its target, ALK7, is encoded by the ACVR1C gene and is expressed predominantly in adipose tissue.
ALK7 belongs to the transforming growth factor-beta receptor superfamily. Its signaling pathway regulates lipid storage in fat cells, fat breakdown and energy balance, according to the release. Human genetic studies have associated reduced ALK7 activity with favorable fat distribution and metabolic characteristics.
Rona said targeting ALK7 directly in fat cells could reduce visceral fat and fat deposits outside their usual storage locations while preserving lean mass. These are proposed therapeutic effects, rather than clinical outcomes reported in the announcement.
The approach differs from incretin-based treatments by acting directly on fat-tissue biology. Rona said that distinction creates the possibility of developing the therapy either independently or in combination with established obesity medicines.
Rona Chief Executive and Founder Stella Shi said the collaboration combines the company’s RNAi research platform with Roche’s global drug development and commercialization capabilities. She described ALK7 as a target that could address adipose-tissue biology.
Boris Zaïtra, Roche’s head of corporate business development, said the agreement complements the company’s cardiovascular, renal and metabolic pipeline.
Founded in 2021, Rona develops RNAi therapies for cardiometabolic, obesity and degenerative diseases. Its technology platform includes extrahepatic delivery, multivalency and oligonucleotide chemistry, and the company said it has advanced multiple programs into global development. The licensed ALK7 candidate remains investigational; the agreement’s milestone payments depend on development, regulatory and commercial achievements, while royalties would be tied to any future global net sales.
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