Algen Biotechnologies, a privately held biotech company specializing in advanced CRISPR gene modulation and AI-driven drug discovery, has announced a multi-target partnership with AstraZeneca Plc (NASDAQ:AZN) to accelerate the discovery of novel therapeutic targets in immunology.
Under the agreement, Algen will leverage its AlgenBrain platform to drive preclinical drug discovery.
AstraZeneca receives exclusive rights to develop and commercialize therapies against a set of targets identified and selected through the partnership.
Algen will receive an upfront payment from AstraZeneca and additional payments upon achieving specific development, regulatory, and commercial milestones, with a potential total deal value of $555 million.
AlgenBrain models disease progression by capturing billions of dynamic RNA changes in human, disease-relevant cell types, and linking them to functional outcomes and therapeutic index through high-throughput gene modulation.
By mapping causal links between gene regulation and disease progression, the platform has the potential to identify novel genes that, when therapeutically targeted, may reverse disease processes.
AlgenBrain grounds early discovery in human biology to improve translational accuracy and increase the probability of clinical success.
Recently, AstraZeneca paused a planned £200 million ($271.26 million) investment in its Cambridge research site.
AstraZeneca spokesperson told Reuters that the company regularly reviews its investment priorities and can confirm that the Cambridge expansion is currently on hold.
How To Buy AstraZeneca Stock
By now, you're likely curious about how to participate in the market for AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) – whether to purchase shares or even attempt to bet against the company.
Buying shares is typically done through a brokerage account. You can find a list of possible trading platforms here. Many will allow you to buy “fractional shares,” which allows you to own portions of stock without buying an entire share.
In the case of AstraZeneca, trading at $85.88 at the time of publishing, $100 would get you 1.16 shares of stock.
If you're looking to bet against a company, the process is more complex. You'll need access to an options trading platform or a broker who will allow you to “go short” a share of stock by lending you the shares to sell. The process of shorting a stock can be found at this resource. Otherwise, if your broker allows you to trade options, you can either buy a put option or sell a call option at a strike price above where shares are currently trading – either way, it allows you to profit from the share price decline.
Price Action: AZN stock is up 0.63% at $85.85 at the last check on Monday.
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