LONDON: Thalia Therapeutics plc announced Wednesday it has agreed to acquire Sanmirna Therapeutics Inc., a move that catapults the biotechnology firm into the clinical stage with a novel RNA therapy for Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.
The acquisition, which is conditional upon shareholder approval, is valued at an initial consideration of £3.675 million, with potential deferred milestone payments of up to an additional £13 million.
The deal transforms Thalia from a drug delivery specialist into a therapeutics development company, adding miRisten—an anti-microRNA-126 candidate—to its pipeline.
“This is an exciting and transformative opportunity to accelerate our clinical-stage oncology pipeline,” said Dr David Solomon, Chief Executive Officer of Thalia.
“The Sanmirna acquisition is value accretive for Thalia shareholders, as it transforms Thalia into a clinical-stage company developing a promising novel therapeutic approach to treat AML, a disease with high unmet medical need.”
miRisten is currently in a Phase 1 clinical trial at City of Hope, one of the world’s leading cancer research centres. The trial is evaluating the candidate’s safety and initial signs of efficacy in patients with relapsed or refractory AML. Top-line data is expected in the first half of 2027.
AML is a rare and aggressive blood cancer affecting more than 22,000 new patients in the United States annually. The global market opportunity is estimated at US$3.9 billion, with projections to grow to US$9.8 billion by 2035.
To fund the work programme through mid-2027, Thalia has conditionally raised £2.75 million through an oversubscribed placing and subscription. The fundraising was completed at a premium to the closing price on June 23. Directors and vendors have subscribed for £1,292,500 of the fundraising. The company also received support from new and existing investors, including Premier Miton.
The initial consideration will be satisfied through the issuance of 485 million new ordinary shares and the issuance of £764,357 in convertible loan notes. The acquisition is expected to be fundamentally value accretive and advances the company’s strategic evolution from drug delivery to RNA therapeutics development.
Thalia now holds three material assets at differing stages of clinical and preclinical development, including its Nuvec delivery system and a new cardiovascular product. The company said each asset has the potential to address multi-billion-dollar market opportunities.
A notice of annual general meeting has been issued, and the company will host an analyst and investor presentation.
