Sirna Therapeutics Granted First Broad siRNA Patent for a Gene Target in the United States
April 03 2006 - 9:38AM
PR Newswire (US)
Patent Covers Any Chemically Modified siRNA Sequence Used Against
the Targeted Gene and Sets Precedent for Sirna Therapeutics'
Substantial Target Patent Portfolio in the U.S. SAN FRANCISCO,
April 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sirna Therapeutics, Inc.
(NASDAQ:RNAI) a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today
that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will
issue Sirna U.S. Patent No. 7,022,828 on April 4, 2006. This is the
first siRNA target patent issued in the United States and sets an
important precedent for Sirna's entire target patent portfolio. The
patent covers any chemically modified siRNA targeting I Kappa B
kinase-gamma (IKK-gamma). Importantly, the claims of the patent are
not limited to a specific siRNA sequence but cover any siRNA
sequence used against the gene. In addition, the claims of this
patent are not limited to a specific type of chemical modification
or structure but cover any chemical modification that can be made
to the siRNA. The patent covers blunt-ended siRNAs as well as those
with one or more nucleotide overhangs. IKK-gamma is an activator of
the NF-kappaB pathway (NF-kb), an important mediator in a host of
diseases, such as asthma, arthritis, cancer, chronic inflammation,
neurodegenerative diseases and heart disease. "We are gratified
that the US Patent Office has issued the first broad siRNA target
patent to Sirna," said Bharat Chowrira, Ph.D., Vice President,
Legal Affairs and Chief Patent Counsel. "We have put tremendous
effort into the creation of a fully enabling target patent
portfolio. The formation of this target patent estate required the
design, synthesis and evaluation of hundreds of siRNAs per target.
The issuance of this patent provides further validation of our
patent strategy and gives us confidence that our other patents
covering over 250 targets will issue in a similar fashion." Sirna
is the first company to file enabling patents for over 250
important mammalian disease targets including: alpha-synuclein
(Parkinson's disease), BACE (Alzheimer's disease), HBV (hepatitis
B), HCV (hepatitis C), HD (Huntington's disease), HIV (human
immunodeficiency virus), HR (hairless gene), IL-4, IL-13, IL-4
Receptors, IL-13 Receptors (asthma, respiratory diseases),
influenza virus (flu virus), NOGO & NOGO Receptors (spinal cord
injury), p38 (inflammation), PTP-1B (diabetes, obesity),
retinoblastoma 1 (hearing loss), RSV (reparatory syncytial virus)
and VEGF (angiogenesis, AMD, diabetic retinopathy, cancer, kidney
disease). "The issuance of this patent changes the IP landscape in
the field of RNAi," stated Howard W. Robin, President and CEO of
Sirna Therapeutics. "We believe that the combination of our target
patents with our patents in siRNA design, chemistry, synthesis, and
manufacturing gives Sirna Therapeutics a dominant intellectual
property estate in the field of RNAi-based therapeutics." 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., will 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
175 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/. 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,
no single patent issuance predicts the likelihood of the rest of
the pending Sirna patent estate issuing. Patent applications may
not result in issued patents, and issued patents may not be
enforceable or could be invalidated. In addition, most drug
candidates do not become approved drugs. The development of
Sirna-027 and Sirna-034 as well as Sirna's other programs are still
at a relatively early stage, are subject to significant unknowns,
and require significant funding. Other risks and uncertainties
include 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 the company'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 Alan Zachary, McKinney Chicago, 312-944-6784
x316 DATASOURCE: Sirna Therapeutics, Inc. CONTACT: Rebecca Galler
Robison, Senior Director, Corporate Strategy of Sirna Therapeutics,
Inc., +1-303-449-6500; or Alan Zachary of McKinney Chicago,
+1-312-944-6784, ext. 316, for Sirna Therapeutics, Inc. Web site:
http://www.sirna.com/
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