Skyhawk Therapeutics and Vertex Pharmaceuticals inked a strategic research collaboration and licensing deal focused on developing novel small molecules that modulate RNA splicing.

Waltham, Massachusetts-based biotech firm Skyhawk Therapeutics is expanding a strategic collaboration deal with Merck as the two companies are working to develop and commercialize a particular type of therapy built on modulating RNA splicing using Skyhawk’s SkySTAR technology platform.

In a deal-making morning for South San Francisco-based Genentech, the Roche subsidiary struck three separate transactions with small companies to boost drug development.