Sirna Therapeutics Licenses Worldwide Exclusive Rights to microRNA Technology from University of Massachusetts Medical School
10 May 2006 - 11:20PM
PR Newswire (US)
License Covers Use of microRNA Technology for Therapeutics,
Diagnostics and Laboratory Reagents SAN FRANCISCO, May 10
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sirna Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:RNAI) a
leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it has
signed an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with the
University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) for the rights to
patents covering microRNA (miRNA) technology for the modulation of
gene expression. MicroRNA is involved in the RNA interference
(RNAi) mechanism and can play a critical role in gene silencing.
Blocking the function of miRNAs holds significant potential for the
treatment of human disease. In addition to the modulation of gene
expression by blocking miRNA function, miRNAs on their own can be
used as therapeutic agents. Like short interfering RNAs (siRNAs),
miRNAs are involved in the RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism.
However, while siRNAs direct the cleavage of messenger RNA (mRNA)
synthesized by a gene, microRNAs appear to predominantly block
translation of proteins by binding to the mRNA. The mechanism by
which siRNAs and miRNAs induce gene silencing are complementary to
one another, thereby presenting a dual approach to harnessing the
RNAi mechanism to down regulate pathogenic proteins and viruses.
"Exclusive license to these Zamore miRNA patents, combined with
Sirna's existing intellectual property on miRNA, gives our Company
a leading patent position in the emerging area of miRNA technology
and use of miRNA as therapeutic agents or targets," said Bharat
Chowrira, Ph.D., Vice President, Legal Affairs and Chief Patent
Counsel. "With these new patents, we have positioned ourselves to
capitalize on a broad intellectual property estate, which now
enables Sirna to pursue multiple RNAi-based therapeutic
approaches." The methodology, invented by Phillip Zamore, Ph.D.
professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology, and Gyorgy
Hutvagner, Ph.D, both of UMMS, provides methods for inhibition of
small RNA function, such as microRNA function in vitro and in vivo.
Dr. Zamore and his colleagues developed an elegant system of using
short pieces of oligonucleotides that bind to the target microRNAs
and block their function, thereby modulating target gene
expression. These oligonucleotides are referred to as the anti-RISC
oligonucleotides. These patents describe methods that can be used
not only for advancing RNAi basic research, but also for developing
miRNA-based therapeutics. "This invention by Dr. Zamore and his
colleagues represents a powerful approach for modulating miRNA
function," said James P. McNamara, Ph.D., Executive Director of the
Office of Technology Management at the University of Massachusetts
Medical School. "We are pleased to license this technology
exclusively to Sirna as we believe the Company is at the forefront
of RNAi-based therapeutic development." The Zamore miRNA patents
are solely owned by the University of Massachusetts. Under the
terms of the agreement, Sirna has an exclusive worldwide license to
these patents for all uses, including therapeutics, diagnostics,
and research reagents. The financial terms of the license were not
disclosed. About RNA interference RNA interference (RNAi) is a
natural, selective process for turning off genes. RNAi is triggered
by short interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules that engage a group of
cellular proteins, known as RISC (RNA induced silencing complex).
The RISC guides the siRNA to its target messenger RNA (mRNA, the
messenger between DNA and proteins) by complementary base pairing
for the targeted break-up of the mRNA, thus halting protein
expression or viral replication. The RISC-siRNA-complex binds and
cleaves multiple mRNA molecules in a catalytic fashion. About Micro
RNA RNA interference (RNAi) is also mediated by short naturally
occurring double-stranded RNA molecules known as microRNAs
(miRNAs). A large number of miRNAs have been identified in
mammalian cells and are believed to regulate the expression of
genes and viruses. Aberrant expression of miRNAs has been linked
with several diseases, and blocking the function of miRNAs can
potentially be a powerful means of treating a number of these
diseases. About Sirna Therapeutics Sirna Therapeutics is a
clinical-stage biotechnology company developing RNAi-based
therapies for serious diseases and conditions, including
age-related macular degeneration (AMD), hepatitis B and C,
dermatology, asthma, Huntington's disease, diabetes and oncology.
Sirna Therapeutics completed its Phase 1 clinical trial for
Sirna-027 in AMD in 2005 and with its strategic partner, Allergan,
Inc., expects to move Sirna-027 into Phase 2 clinical trials in
2006. Sirna has selected a clinical compound for hepatitis C virus,
Sirna-034, which the Company plans to bring into Phase 1 clinical
trials by the end of 2006. Sirna has established an exclusive
multi-year strategic alliance with GlaxoSmithKline for the
development of siRNA compounds for the treatment of respiratory
diseases. Sirna has a leading intellectual property portfolio in
RNAi covering over 250 mammalian gene and viral targets and over
200 issued or pending patents covering other major aspects of RNAi
technology. More information on Sirna Therapeutics is available on
the Company's web site at http://www.sirna.com/. About UMMS The
University of Massachusetts Medical School, one of the fastest
growing academic health centers in the country, has built a
reputation as a world- class research institution, consistently
producing noteworthy advances in clinical and basic research. The
Medical School attracts more than $174 million in research funding
annually, 80 percent of which comes from federal funding sources.
UMMS is the academic partner of UMass Memorial Health Care, the
largest health care provider in Central Massachusetts. For more
information visit http://www.umassmed.edu/. Safe Harbor Statement
Statements in this press release which are not strictly historical
are "forward-looking" statements which should be considered as
subject to many risks and uncertainties. For example, Sirna
currently does not have any clinical drug candidates or programs
based on miRNA technology and the development of Sirna-027 and
Sirna-034 as well as Sirna's other programs are still at a
relatively early stage. All of these programs, and Sirna's ability
to obtain milestone and royalty payments under its collaborations,
are subject to significant risks and unknowns, are highly
contingent upon future successes, and require significant funding.
In addition, patent applications may not result in issued patents,
and issued patents may not be enforceable or could be invalidated.
Other risks and uncertainties include, among others, Sirna's early
stage of development and short operating history, Sirna's history
and expectation of losses and need to raise capital, Sirna's need
to obtain clinical validation and regulatory approval for
Sirna-027, Sirna-034 and Sirna's other product candidates, any of
which could have negative results, Sirna's need to engage
collaborators, Sirna's need to obtain and protect intellectual
property, and the risk of third-party patent infringement claims.
These and additional risk factors are identified in Sirna's
Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including the Forms
10-K and 10-Q and in other SEC filings. Sirna undertakes no
obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements in
order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the
date of this release. Contacts: Rebecca Galler Robison, Senior
Director, Corporate Strategy, Sirna Therapeutics, Inc.,
303-449-6500 DATASOURCE: Sirna Therapeutics, Inc. CONTACT: Rebecca
Galler Robison of Sirna Therapeutics, Inc., Senior Director,
Corporate Strategy, +1-303-449-6500 Web site: http://www.sirna.com/
http://www.umassmed.edu/
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