AlphaRose Therapeutics Announces Acquisition of Alpha Anomeric SA, a French Company with Industry-Leading Oligonucleotide Technology

Acquisition positions AlphaRose as a leader in next generation Antisense Oligonucleotide Therapeutics with a novel proprietary oligonucleotide chemistry (abcDNA) platform invented at University of Bern, Switzerland

Establishes a presence for AlphaRose in Europe, with Alpha Anomeric headquartered in Paris, France

abcDNA Chemistry platform validated in ASO gapmer constructs, a core focus of AlphaRose Therapeutics' programs

AUSTIN, Texas, April 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- AlphaRose Therapeutics, an advanced preclinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing therapeutics for neurogenetic developmental diseases, today announces the acquisition of Alpha Anomeric SA, a French company with a novel proprietary oligonucleotide chemistry platform (abcDNA). AlphaRose is currently advancing its lead antisense oligonucleotide product, Rosiphersen, through IND-enabling studies with a goal of initiating clinical studies in early 2026. AlphaRose is also developing a novel gene control technology platform and the Alpha Anomeric chemistry platform has the potential to become an integral part of the AlphaRose platform and development programs. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Alpha Anomeric is a French company founded to develop a novel oligonucleotide chemistry platform ("abcDNA") invented at the University of Bern (CH) by Professor Christian Leumann and Doctor Damien Evoquez. Alpha Anomeric was founded by Doctor Wolfgang Renner together with lead investor Advent Life Sciences and has validated the potential for the technology to be applied broadly in oligonucleotide therapeutic constructs. The novel chemistry platform is designed to enhance the safety, efficacy and applicability of oligonucleotide therapeutics in a variety of disease settings.

AlphaRose will maintain Alpha Anomeric as a subsidiary headquartered in Paris, France. In addition to the technology platform, the acquisition provides a European presence for AlphaRose and adds an important dimension to AlphaRose's plans to commercialize its products on a global basis, including throughout Europe.

"We are thrilled to join with Alpha Anomeric and we look forward to exploring and building on the full potential of their technology," stated AlphaRose Founder and CEO, Casey McPherson. He added, "With our focus on oligonucleotide therapeutics for neurogenetic developmental disorders and more broadly in rare genetic disorders the abcDNA technology is well-positioned to establish and differentiate AlphaRose as a leader in the oligonucleotide therapeutic space." 

"We are pleased that AlphaRose is acquiring Alpha Anomeric and recognizes the potential of the technology," stated Dr. Wolfgang Renner, Founder and former CEO of Alpha Anomeric. "Our work has demonstrated the potential of the technology and we look forward to seeing it now be applied to therapeutic development at AlphaRose."

"We are grateful to the team at Alpha Anomeric, Advent and University of Bern for the work they have done to develop the abcDNA technology and for their support of the acquisition by AlphaRose," stated Alan Walts, Executive Chairman of AlphaRose. "We look forward to advancing the technology within AlphaRose and to positioning the technology for use by other companies working to develop next generation oligonucleotide therapies."

About AlphaRose Therapeutics 

AlphaRose is a public benefit corporation focused on creating scalable precision medicine treatments for the 400 million patients worldwide with rare genetic diseases, beginning with children. These diseases often lack effective treatments and present significant challenges in the drug development process, particularly for children. AlphaRose aims to bridge this gap by developing targeted therapies for specific genetic mutations within these smaller patient populations. Rare genetic diseases collectively affect 1 in 10 people, approximately half of whom are children. While individually rare, collectively this is a larger population than cancer and AIDS combined. In the US alone, these diseases create an annual economic burden estimated to be nearly one trillion dollars. Despite the identification of 10,000 rare genetic diseases through genetic sequencing, 95% still lack treatments. Traditional drug development models often do not support developing therapies for these diseases due to the small patient populations involved and the high costs of typical drug development. AlphaRose reimagines a new model for drug development to address these underserved populations. By utilizing programmable genetic medicines, economies of scale, a systematic approach, and advanced technologies, the company aims to create a precision medicine model that can rapidly make and deploy to patients treatments for many genetic diseases. 

AlphaRose is based in Austin, TX and was founded in October 2023. The company has established a partnership with the To Cure a Rose Foundation (TCAR), and holds an exclusive worldwide license from TCAR for the intellectual property associated with AlphaRose's lead product, Rosiphersen. This license covers multiple compound designs and chemistries for antisense oligonucleotides that affect expression of the HNRNPH2 gene. 

AlphaRose is building a patient-centric model, focusing on precision and scalability to address neurogenetic diseases. The company is collaborating with researchers, clinicians, and families to ensure its therapies are both impactful and accessible. While initially focused on HNRNPH2 disorders, AlphaRose has identified over 300 other potential pediatric disease targets using its AI/ML algorithms and has begun development on some of these. The company is actively seeking research grants and pursuing strategic partnerships to build a robust pipeline of genetic medicines.

About Alpha Anomeric

Alpha Anomeric was founded in 2018 to develop a novel oligonucleotide chemistry invented at the University of Bern, referred to as abcDNA. We believe this is the first and only antisense chemistry to both eliminate sulphur and retain a charged backbone developed in the last 20 years. The key features of the technology are manifold:

• abcDNA eliminates the dose-limiting toxicity of phosphorothioates improving therapeutic index and specificity of targeting
• abcDNA oligonucleotides retain a charged phosphate backbone, maintaining strong and specific target RNA binding and efficacy
• abcDNA oligonucleotides are nuclease resistant and compatible with all current targeting approaches
• abcDNA oligonucleotides are active in vivo in AON applications including exon skipping, exon inclusion and RNase H mediated RNA decay (gapmer technology)

Alpha Anomeric's abcDNA has broad IP coverage with issued patents covering abcDNA monomers & oligomers, and management believes that CMC provides scalability and low cost of goods. 

For inquiries regarding the abcDNA technology and for partnering with AlphaRose: [email protected]

Contact:
Sean Mahoney for AlphaRose Therapeutics
[email protected]
310-867-0670

SOURCE AlphaRose Therapeutics