Replicate Bioscience Announces Collaborative Agreement with Instituto Butantan

Gunderson Dettmer represented client Replicate Bioscience, a clinical-stage company pioneering novel self-replicating RNA (srRNA) technology, in a collaboration agreement with Instituto Butantan, a leading nonprofit producer of immunobiologic products in Brazil. 

Replicate Bioscience is amplifying the power of RNA therapeutics to overcome the shortcomings of existing mRNA approaches, with potential improvements in bioactivity, induction of more potent immune responses, and improved therapeutic index.

Under the agreement, Instituto Butantan will obtain exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Replicate’s novel srRNA rabies vaccine RBI-4000 in Brazil and other Latin American countries. The collaboration will also accelerate improvement of cold chain storage and thermostability, which may bolster adoption of srRNA technology and support a cost advantage versus conventional vaccine technologies.

In the announcement of the agreement, Replicate Bioscience CEO Nathaniel Wang, Ph.D said, “We are honored to collaborate with Instituto Butantan, a global leader in the fight against deadly infectious diseases. We view this as an exciting opportunity to clinically advance Replicate's srRNA rabies vaccine with Butantan and expand our scientific, operational, and manufacturing frameworks that can be applied to other diseases."

The Gunderson deal team was led by Brendan McCarthy and included Anthony Farnesi. 

Companies
Replicate Bioscience
Instituto Butantan