SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. April 15, 2020 – Aligos Therapeutics, Inc., a preclinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development of targeted therapies for hepatologic diseases and viral infections, including chronic hepatitis B (CHB), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), announces the expansion of an existing license agreement with Luxna Biotech Inc., Ltd. pursuant to Luxna’s innovative modified nucleic acid technology.

The amended agreement, expanded relative to an initial agreement with Luxna in December 2018, grants Aligos exclusive rights to use Luxna’s technology to target the genomes of certain families of respiratory viruses, including Coronaviridae, which includes SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19.

“Luxna’s nucleotide stabilization technology already serves as an indispensable component for the Aligos’ antisense oligonucleotide clinical candidates targeting chronic hepatitis B, and we are now moving ahead with efforts to utilize this technology to target viruses that have the potential to cause pandemic infections,” said Aligos CEO Dr. Lawrence Blatt, Ph.D., MBA. “Our team, with decades of experience in anti-viral drug development and oligonucleotide chemistry, is well equipped to explore the potential benefits of the same technology to knock down viral transcripts in respiratory viruses like SARS-CoV-2. In light of the current pandemic and its estimated impact in the coming months, it is our responsibility as a healthcare company to investigate all possible paths to mitigate a global health issue like this one.”