Ionis and Genuity Science announce agreement designed to rapidly translate genomic insights into therapeutics

BOSTON and CARLSBAD, Calif., Oct. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Genuity Science, a genomics and data insights organization and Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: IONS), the leader in antisense therapeutics, today announced a broad, multi-year collaboration aimed at accelerating the discovery and development of innovative therapeutics across a range of up to 20 diseases. The collaboration is expected to play an important role in allowing Ionis to continue delivering transformational medicines to patients for many years to come.

Genuity Science's approach combines high-quality, whole-genome sequence and deep phenotype data resulting in better definition of the underlying disease mechanisms. This approach, when coupled with Ionis' proprietary antisense technology, has the potential to significantly expedite the drug development process through a more direct translation of targets into therapeutics.

Under terms of the multi-year collaboration, Genuity Science will receive a combination of upfront payments and development milestones, plus product royalties.  

"Ionis' financial strength and the success of our validated antisense technology have positioned us to invest in new technologies that enhance our R&D capabilities," said Brett P. Monia, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Ionis. "The collaboration with Genuity Science gives us the potential to significantly increase our discovery opportunities and better understand the complexities of human diseases based on genetics."

"We are excited to collaborate with an innovative company like Ionis," said Rob Brainin, chief executive officer of Genuity Science. "Combining the scale and depth of our datasets and our analytical expertise with Ionis' pioneering antisense technology can more rapidly translate information into insights with potential to deliver breakthrough therapies to even more patients who need them."

Learn more by visiting https://contact.genuitysci.com/ionis.

About Genuity Science
Genuity Science is a data sourcing, analytics and insights organization headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, with offices in Dublin, Ireland and Reykjavik, Iceland. Genuity Science partners with global biopharma companies to offer deep end-to-end discovery services aimed at catalyzing precision health and improving the quality of life for patients around the world. Services include population-scale, disease-specific data sourcing, high-quality sequencing, robust statistical analysis and software tools for analyzing large datasets and artificial intelligence (AI). The company operates advanced CAP-accredited, CLIA-certified genomics laboratories in Woburn, Massachusetts, USA and in Dublin, Ireland and is deeply committed to data stewardship and data governance across its global offices. For more information, see www.genuitysci.com.

About Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
As the leader in RNA-targeted drug discovery and development, Ionis has created an efficient, broadly applicable, drug discovery platform called antisense technology that can treat diseases where no other therapeutic approaches have proven effective. Our drug discovery platform has served as a springboard for actionable promise and realized hope for patients with unmet needs. We created the first and only approved treatment for all patients, children and adults with spinal muscular atrophy as well as the world's first RNA-targeted therapeutic approved for the treatment of polyneuropathy in adults with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis. Our sights are set on all the patients we have yet to reach with a pipeline of more than 40 novel medicines designed to potentially treat a broad range of disease, including neurological, cardiovascular, infectious, and pulmonary diseases.

To learn more about Ionis visit www.ionispharma.com or follow us on twitter @ionispharma.

Ionis' Forward-looking Statement
This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding Ionis' collaboration with Genuity Science. Any statement describing Ionis' goals, expectations, financial or other projections, intentions or beliefs is a forward-looking statement and should be considered an at-risk statement. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, particularly those inherent in the process of discovering, developing and commercializing medicines that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics, and in the endeavor of building a business around such medicines. Ionis' forward-looking statements also involve assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove correct, could cause its results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although Ionis' forward-looking statements reflect the good faith judgment of its management, these statements are based only on facts and factors currently known by Ionis. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These and other risks concerning Ionis' programs are described in additional detail in Ionis' annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, which is on file with the SEC. Copies of this and other documents are available from the Company.

In this press release, unless the context requires otherwise, "Ionis," "Company," "we," "our," and "us" refers to Ionis Pharmaceuticals and its subsidiaries.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals® is a trademark of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

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SOURCE Genuity Science