Chiesi Group and Serna Bio have entered into a collaboration agreement to discover and develop novel small molecule drugs directed to respiratory diseases. The partnership will leverage Serna’s proprietary RNA-targeting small molecule discovery platform.
Parma, Italy and San Francisco, California, USA, July 24, 2025 –
Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A (“Chiesi Group”) and Serna Bio (“Serna”) today announced the execution of a global drug discovery and collaboration agreement to discover and develop novel small molecule drugs that target RNA against an undisclosed ‘hard-to-drug’ target of interest for respiratory diseases.
Using a combination of in vitro assays and machine learning tools, Serna Bio has developed a unique understanding of RNA architecture, defining druggable, functional RNA motifs. This technology and approach will enable Chiesi Group to explore more effective new therapeutic options, in alignment with Chiesi’s mission: improve people’s quality of life and act responsibly towards both the community and the environment.
“As part of its unwavering quest to invent and develop impactful respiratory healthcare solutions, Chiesi is committed to explore innovative strategies to engage pharmacological targets that are difficult to address with conventional approaches,” said Diego Ardigò, Executive Vice-President, Global Research & Development at Chiesi Group, “Serna Bio has unique capabilities in designing molecules that act by modulating RNA biology and we look forward to exploring how we can utilize this emerging area of science to improve the life of people with chronic respiratory conditions worldwide.”
The companies will work together to advance this program through hit finding and early lead development. Chiesi Group will have the option to acquire all rights, title, and interest to develop and commercialize any potential products identified through the collaboration.
Rabia Khan, CEO of Serna, added “We are excited to bring our platform to bear on diseases with high unmet medical needs, working with a highly experienced partner. We acknowledge and appreciate Chiesi’s significant commitment and expertise in the development of drugs in the respiratory field and we believe this partnership will help unlock the full potential of Serna Bio’s platform to address these critical needs.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Serna Bio will receive success-based near-term payments and development and regulatory milestones.
Chiesi Group will fund all discovery, development, and global commercialization activities, reflecting its strategic commitment to delivering best-in-class respiratory care that goes beyond treatments, and focusing on improving the overall patient experience.
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About Serna
Serna Bio is a preclinical AI-enabled drug discovery company developing small molecules that modulate RNA function. At the heart of our innovation is the Serna Bio Discovery Platform, a tech stack for RNA drug discovery. The Discovery Platform leverages proprietary data and unique computational pipelines. Serna’s Biology Platform is the world’s largest dataset of experimentally validated, functional RNA structures, enabling the identification of druggable RNA motifs within seconds. Complementing this is the ChemAI platform, with proprietary function-focused chemical libraries, & generative chemistry system trained on proprietary data, to design small molecules optimized for RNA.
Serna Bio uses AI to design molecules, unconstrained by the human mind to unlock the transcriptome as a drug target.
About Chiesi Group
Chiesi is a research-oriented international biopharmaceutical group that develops and markets innovative therapeutic solutions in respiratory health, rare diseases, and specialty care. The company’s mission is to improve people’s quality of life and act responsibly towards both the community and the environment.
By changing its legal status to a Benefit Corporation in Italy, the US, France and Colombia, Chiesi’s commitment to creating shared value for society as a whole is legally binding and central to company-wide decision-making. As a certified B Corp since 2019, Chiesi is part of a global community of businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental impact. The company aims to reach Net-Zero greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions by 2035.
With 90 years of experience, Chiesi is headquartered in Parma (Italy), with 31 affiliates worldwide, and counts more than 7,500 employees. The Group’s research and development center in Parma works alongside 6 other important R&D hubs in France, the US, Canada, China, the UK, and Sweden.
For further information please visit: www.chiesi.com/en/
Contacts for Media:
Serna Bio
Rabia Khan, Chief Executive Officer
Rabia@serna.bio
www.serna.bio
Chiesi Group
Vera Valota, Head of Global Communications, AIR & CARE
www.chiesi.com
