SHANGHAI, 22 Feb 2018: STA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (STA), a WuXi AppTec group company and the leading open-access capability and technology platform for small molecule pharmaceutical development and manufacturing, and Regulus Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: RGLS), a biopharmaceutical company leading the discovery and development of innovative medicines targeting microRNAs, announce they have entered into an oligonucleotide synthesis collaboration agreement for research and mid-scale non-GMP/cGMP manufacturing.

Under the agreement, STA 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. Regulus will provide STA with expertise, technical know-how, and training in the field of oligonucleotide scale-up.

STA recently established oligonucleotide R&D labs at both its facilities in San Diego, California and Changzhou, China. The state-of-the-art oligonucleotide GMP manufacturing facility at Changzhou will become operational later this year.

"We are excited to establish a high quality oligonucleotide R&D and manufacturing technology and capability platform, and it's a great honour to work with an innovative, pioneering company, such as Regulus. This partnership will allow STA to expedite Regulus' oligonucleotide therapeutics programs into the clinic, and eventually, to patients," said Dr. Minzhang Chen, CEO of STA Pharmaceutical. "Through our newly established global quality oligonucleotide platform, we strive to make life-saving oligonucleotide therapeutics more affordable and available to patients worldwide."

"By partnering with a well-respected, world-class organization like WuXi STA, we gain their commitment to support our long-term development and commercialization goals," said Jay Hagan, President and CEO of Regulus.