Veritas In Silico (TYO:130A) and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical (TYO:4182) jointly filed a composition-of-matter patent for a novel antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) drug candidate targeting lncRNA H19, which is associated with certain types of cancers, according to a Tokyo bourse filing on Monday.

The first-in-class nucleic acid ASO drug candidate will take eight to 10 years to develop, the release said.

Veritas In Silico plans to seek regulatory approval via relatively small-scale clinical trials while exploring partnership opportunities, followed by label expansion and global commercialization after approval.

Shares of Mitsubishi Gas Chemical rose over 3%, while Veritas In Silico fell 0.5% recently.