AstraZeneca has become the latest big pharma company to access Isis Pharmaceuticals’ antisense technology platform as part of a strategic alliance to discover and develop next- generation antisense therapeutics against five cancer targets. The agreement includes a licence to ISIS-STAT3Rx, which is in early-stage clinical development for advanced lymphomas. ISIS-STAT3Rx is the first drug to enter clinical development that incorporates Isis’ Generation 2.5 chemistry (IScEt), which is designed to increase the potency of antisense drugs.