Mirecule Inc, a developer of Antibody RNA Conjugate (ARC) therapeutics targeting rare neuromuscular diseases, on Wednesday announced an expansion of its strategic collaboration with French healthcare company Sanofi S.A. (Euronext Paris:SAN) (Nasdaq:SNY) to advance treatments for Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD), a debilitating muscular disease.

This partnership builds on the companies' prior work developing ARC therapeutics.

The expanded agreement focuses on advancing a best-in-class ARC designed to suppress DUX4, the genetic driver of FSHD. Sanofi will continue to lead downstream clinical development and global commercialisation, leveraging its expertise in rare disease drug development.

Mirecule said that the collaboration supports progression of a disease-modifying therapy aligned with established preclinical milestones. The company also reaffirmed its engagement with the patient community and collaboration with organisations including the FSHD Society, Friends of FSH Research, and the NINDS SBIR programme.