Skip to main content
Premium Trial:

Request an Annual Quote

Tekmira Receives $14.5M Payment from Monsanto

Premium

Tekmira Pharmaceuticals this week announced that it has received a $14.5 million milestone payment from Monsanto under the terms of a technology and intellectual property option deal.

This month, the companies announced an agreement under which Monsanto acquired an option to license exclusive rights to Tekmira's RNAi delivery technology and IP for agricultural applications.

According to Tekmira, it stands to receive an additional $2 million from Monsanto in near-term payments under the arrangement, as well as additional money if the option is exercised.

The Scan

Positive Framing of Genetic Studies Can Spark Mistrust Among Underrepresented Groups

Researchers in Human Genetics and Genomics Advances report that how researchers describe genomic studies may alienate potential participants.

Small Study of Gene Editing to Treat Sickle Cell Disease

In a Novartis-sponsored study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that a CRISPR-Cas9-based treatment targeting promoters of genes encoding fetal hemoglobin could reduce disease symptoms.

Gut Microbiome Changes Appear in Infants Before They Develop Eczema, Study Finds

Researchers report in mSystems that infants experienced an enrichment in Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Finegoldia and a depletion of Bacteroides before developing eczema.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment Specificity Enhanced With Stem Cell Editing

A study in Nature suggests epitope editing in donor stem cells prior to bone marrow transplants can stave off toxicity when targeting acute myeloid leukemia with immunotherapy.