Key2Brain and OliX Pharmaceuticals Enter a Strategic Evaluation and Option Agreement to Advance CNS-Targeted siRNA Delivery
• Joint research to develop CNS-targeted siRNAs using Key2Brain’s TfR-targeted BBB shuttle, with an option for a global exclusive license to a CNS disease target
• Marks Key2Brain’s first siRNA collaboration and highlights the versatility of its proprietary BBB-crossing platform, complementing its ongoing global partnerships
• OliX to advance its “OliX 2.0” strategy by expanding CNS delivery capabilities through multi-shuttle BBB approaches
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, and SEONGNAM, South Korea, Feb 10, 2026-- Key2Brain AB, a Swedish biotechnology company pioneering next-generation brain-targeting therapeutics, and OliX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (KOSDAQ: 226950), a leading developer of RNAi therapeutics, today announced a joint evaluation and option agreement to collaborate on the development of therapeutics for central nervous system (CNS) disorders.
Key2Brain considers oligonucleotides a strategically important modality, and, with enhanced internal expertise and recent key recruitments, the company aims to develop innovative CNS-targeted oligonucleotide therapies both internally and through partnerships.
OliX intends to further expand the CNS field as a future core business area under its mid- to long-term business model, the “OliX 2.0 Roadmap,” by accelerating the development of an siRNA platform capable of targeting CNS diseases by crossing the blood–brain barrier (BBB).
Under this agreement, the two companies will collaborate to generate conjugates combining Key2Brain’s BBB shuttle technology with OliX’s CNS siRNA candidates. The companies will jointly conduct evaluation-based research to assess CNS delivery efficiency and overall technical suitability.
The agreement also incorporates an option structure under which OliX may evaluate the technology during the joint research period and, subject to the results thereof, exercise an option for future rights. If technical compatibility and efficacy are confirmed through the research, OliX will be granted an option to obtain a worldwide exclusive license for conjugates incorporating an OliX siRNA candidate and Key2Brain’s TfR–targeting platform technology with respect to an undisclosed CNS target.
Key2Brain’s proprietary blood-brain barrier (BBB) shuttle platform is built on a new generation of small, single-domain antibodies (VHHs) that target the transferrin receptor (TfR)—a clinically validated gateway for CNS delivery. Designed for modularity, stability, and cross-species reactivity, Key2Brain’s VHH-based transporters enable efficient delivery of a wide range of therapeutic modalities to the brain. The platform has demonstrated superior brain uptake and target engagement in preclinical models, and is currently being applied across multiple internal and partnered programs, including enzymes, antibodies, peptides, and most recently oligonucleotides. In addition, Key2Brain has a unique proprietary half-life extension technology that is now being deployed in selected programs.
“This partnership demonstrates an increasing trust in Key2Brain´s technology from leading pharma and biotech companies worldwide. It is one of several initiatives through which Key2Brain is extending its BBB platform to new therapeutic modalities. We are encouraged by this opportunity to collaborate with OliX to explore novel modalities suitable for our brain-targeting platform. By combining Key2Brain’s next generation BBB-crossing technology with OliX’s cutting-edge RNAi technology, we aim to enable RNA therapeutics to reach the brain and help patients with CNS disorders that were previously untreatable.”, said Dr Elisabet Sjöström, CEO and Founder of Key2Brain.
This agreement aligns with the shared ambition of Key2Brain and OliX to advance siRNA-based therapeutics for CNS disorders—accelerating development and enabling access to treatments that were previously out of reach.
“We are pleased to announce today’s collaboration with Key2Brain, which brings a differentiated BBB shuttle technology into our CNS delivery strategy,” said Dong Ki Lee, Ph.D., CEO of OliX Pharmaceuticals. “CNS delivery technologies require long-term validation, making it important to move proactively and secure robust BBB shuttle technologies with strong translational potential such as Key2Brain’s."
Dr. Lee emphasized, “Under our ‘OliX 2.0’ roadmap, the CNS-targeted delivery platform represents a core strategic focus, and we aim to build a portfolio aligned with next-generation global trends to secure sustainable mid- to long-term growth. In line with this focus, we continue to explore BBB shuttle technologies through discussions with multiple domestic and global partners.”
About Key2Brain AB
Key2Brain is a Swedish biotechnology company dedicated to developing next generation brain targeting therapeutics utilizing its proprietary blood-brain barrier-crossing (BBB-crossing) technology. The technology enables efficient brain uptake and broad distribution of CNS-therapeutics, utilizing small and flexible antibody fragments (VHHs). Key2Brain’s VHHs can be integrated into a range of therapeutic molecules.
The pipeline is being developed internally and in partnerships where Key2Brain’s team leverages extensive industry experience in biologics and brain-targeting drugs, accelerating the translation from discovery to the clinic. Key2Brain was founded 2020 and is based in Stockholm.
Learn more: https://www.key2brain.com/
About Key2Brain’s technology platform
Key2Brain’s technology enables efficient brain uptake and broad distribution of therapeutics, utilizing small (<15kDa) engineered single domain VHH antibodies with specificity for the Transferrin Receptor (TfR). The technology provides opportunities for the development of next generation brain targeting across a diverse range of therapeutic areas.
Key2Brain’s VHH technology can be efficiently integrated into or combined with therapeutic molecules without impacting either the disease target specificity, or the binding of transferrin to TfR. The modular and flexible platform is being applied to peptides, proteins, antibodies, enzymes, and oligonucleotides.
Key2Brain’s VHHs can be expressed in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems and purified using commercial large-scale affinity purification systems. The proprietary platform includes species cross-reactive (human/primate/mouse), human/primate specific binders together with a humanized TfR mouse model for translational studies as well as a unique half-life extension technology.
Contacts
Benjamin Nordin, CBO
Key2Brain AB
benjamin.nordin@key2brain.se
About OliX Pharmaceuticals
OliX is a biotechnology company focused on the development of innovative therapeutics that regulate disease-causing gene expression based on RNA interference (RNAi) technology. Leveraging its proprietary RNAi platform, OliX is developing a broad range of therapeutic candidates across multiple disease areas, with several pipeline programs currently in clinical stages.
OliX’s core drug development platform is its cell-penetrating asymmetric siRNA (cp-asiRNA), a proprietary technology designed to maximize the gene-silencing efficiency of RNAi therapeutics. Based on this platform, OliX is advancing locally administered therapeutic candidates for indications such as hair loss, dry and wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and hypertrophic scars. In addition, OliX is developing liver-targeted therapeutics through its hepatocyte-specific GalNAc-asiRNA platform, targeting liver-related diseases including metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis (MASH), obesity, and cardiometabolic disorders.
In accordance with its mid- to long-term growth strategy, the “OliX 2.0 Roadmap,” OliX continues to expand the application of RNAi therapeutics. The company is building novel delivery platforms targeting the central nervous system (CNS) and adipose tissue, and is expanding its pipeline to pursue differentiated RNAi-based therapies across a broad range of disease areas.
Learn more: https://www.olixpharma.com/eng
Contacts
Jiyoun Kim
OliX Pharmaceuticals PR
+82-31-779-8407
jyounkim@OliXpharma.com
