Sanofi licenses a preclinical genetic disease drug from an unknown biotech spun out of the NIH

In a new deal Tuesday morning, Sanofi is jumping into the antibody-RNA conjugate (ARC) space and elevating a little-known private biotech into the spotlight.

Sanofi is licensing a preclinical ARC candidate from Gaithersburg, MD-based miRecule that’s designed to treat a genetic muscle disease known as facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, or FSHD. Sanofi is getting exclusive worldwide rights for the program, known as MC-DX4, while miRecule gets an upfront and near-term milestones of about $30 million.