Ionis Pharmaceuticals IONS signed an exclusive worldwide deal with small biotech Bicycle Therapeutics BCYC to develop targeted oligonucleotide therapies, leveraging the latter’s tissue-targeting TfR1 Bicycle technology. The deal will provide Ionis an exclusive license to Bicycle Therapeutics’ innovative transferrin receptor 1-targeting peptides, referred to as Bicycles, to strengthen the targeting capabilities of its LIgand Conjugated Antisense (LICA) medicines.Bicycles, a targeting technology, binds with high specificity to the transferrin receptor without modifying natural function. Ionis will evaluate Bicycles as vehicles to deliver oligonucleotide therapeutics to specific organ systems.This year so far, Ionis’ shares have declined 35.7% compared with the industry’s decrease of 8.4%.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchFor the deal, Bicycle Therapeutics got an upfront payment of $45 million, which included an $11 million equity investment in the company. Bicycle Therapeutics will also be entitled to other development and regulatory milestone payments as well as future royalties if any drug is developed under the program is eventually approved. However, Bicycle retains rights to use transferrin binding Bicycles to deliver all non-oligonucleotide therapeutics.Ionis’ RNA antisense technology has allowed it to form an impressive set of partnerships with leading drugmakers like Biogen BIIB, AstraZeneca AZN, Bayer, Glaxo among other for development/marketing of its drugs. Ionis is also advancing and expanding its wholly-owned pipeline to drive future revenue growth.Ionis currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It’s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is “Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?” Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it’s free. Discover 7 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale.Download FREE: How to Profit from Trillions on Spending for Infrastructure >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AstraZeneca PLC (AZN): Free Stock Analysis Report Biogen Inc. (BIIB): Free Stock Analysis Report Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IONS): Free Stock Analysis Report Bicycle Therapeutics PLC Sponsored ADR (BCYC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research