Sirna Therapeutics Granted First Broad siRNA Patent for a Gene Target in the
United States
Monday April 3, 7:38 am ET
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 - News) 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