GSK acquired Elsie Biotechnologies for up to $50M

GSK plc announced that that it has acquired Elsie Biotechnologies, a San Diego-based private biotechnology company dedicated to unlocking the full potential of oligonucleotide therapeutics, for up to $50M, or approximately GBP 39M. This agreement is not subject to closing conditions and the acquisition has been completed. “This acquisition allows GSK to integrate Elsie’s oligonucleotide discovery, synthesis, and delivery technologies to enhance GSK’s platform R&D capabilities. This follows a successful research collaboration with Elsie, announced in July 2023, in which GSK was able to explore and validate the technology. Data generated with the Elsie platform, combined with GSK’s expertise in the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, will support the development of predictive models for future oligonucleotide design,” GSK stated. Tony Wood, Chief Scientific Officer, GSK, said: “We have already made great strides in oligonucleotide drug development through our work in chronic hepatitis B and steatotic liver disease, and are thrilled to work alongside the talented team at Elsie to accelerate a next-generation oligonucleotide platform. By bringing together Elsie’s expertise and our internal capabilities, we can design and develop oligonucleotides for difficult-to-treat diseases of scale with larger patient populations.”