Two drug development specialists based in the US state of California, STA Pharmaceutical, part of the WuXi AppTec group, and Regulus Therapeutics, have agreed to collaborate on oligonucleotide synthesis for research and mid-scale non-GMP/cGMP manufacturing. The pact follows the recent opening of WuXi STA's oligonucleotide R&D labs in China and the US.

Under the terms, STA, which bills itself as a leading open-access capability and technology platform for small molecule pharmaceutical development and manufacturing, will become a new strategic development and manufacturing partner for Regulus' preclinical and clinical programs of microRNA-targeting drugs used to treat a broad range of diseases. As part of the cooperation, it will provide the company with expertise, technical knowhow and training in the field of oligonucleotide scale-up. STA’s facility at Changzhou will become operational later this year.

Minzhang Chen, CEO of STA Pharmaceutical, said the partnership will allow the company to expedite Regulus' oligonucleotide therapeutics programs into the clinic and eventually to patients. With WuXi STA, Regulus gains a long-term commitment to support its long-term development and commercialization goals, said Jay Hagan, the company’s president and CEO. Regulus was established in September 2007 by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Isis Pharmaceuticals, now Ionis Pharmaceuticals.