Nastech Licenses RNAi Intellectual Property and Technology from City of Hope
Novel Dicer-Substrate RNAi Technology Could Offer Increased Potency for Drug Development as Compared to Conventional RNAi Technology
BOTHELL, Wash. and DUARTE, Calif., November 08, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nastech Pharmaceutical Company Inc. announced today that it has entered into a license agreement with City of Hope for rights to Dicer- Substrate RNA interference (RNAi) intellectual property and technology. Nastech obtained exclusive rights to five undisclosed targets selected by Nastech, as well as broad non-exclusive rights to siRNAs directed against all mammalian targets subject to certain City of Hope limitations that will have no impact on Nastech's programs. Dicer-Substrate technology may enable the development of short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that could have improved pharmacological properties important for drug development and delivery when compared to conventional, first generation RNAi technology.
RNAi is a major advance in understanding gene regulation within the cell that makes it possible to turn off the production of a single protein in a highly specific manner. By leveraging the natural mechanism of RNA interference, it may be possible to develop therapeutics to target diseases that result from the overproduction of a protein, such as the TNF-alpha protein, which is associated with inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis. In the case of RNAi therapeutics directed against viral respiratory infections, targets of RNAi therapeutics can include the highly conserved proteins critical for viral replication. Inhibiting these proteins could prevent or slow the spread of infection, while potentially avoiding development of viral resistance.
First generation RNAi technology included the use of siRNAs that bypass a natural process controlled by the Dicer enzyme. These conventional siRNAs were typically 21 base pair duplexes. A report published in February 2005 issue of Nature Biotechnology titled "Synthetic dsRNA Dicer substrates enhance RNAi potency and efficacy" indicated that 25-30 base pair RNA duplexes designed to act as substrates for processing by Dicer could be up to 100 times more effective at silencing genes, at lower concentrations than the corresponding conventional 21 base pair duplexes that bypass Dicer and without inducing an interferon response.
"The agreement with City of Hope for rights to this unique RNAi technology and intellectual property has the potential to offer a better way of developing potent siRNA therapeutics than the conventional method that is being widely used by other companies and in combination with Nastech's other intellectual property, we are in the unique position of being able to access all fundamental IP surrounding RNAi required for us to drive our siRNA therapeutics programs forward," stated Steven C. Quay, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman, President and CEO of Nastech. "City of Hope is a world renowned research and medical institution and we are excited by the product opportunities offered by this technology."
"The Dicer-Substrate RNAi technology may help to accelerate the development of a new class of therapeutics," said Dr. John Rossi, Chair, Division of Molecular Biology, City of Hope. "We are very pleased to enter into this agreement with Nastech, a leading company in the development of RNAi therapeutics and delivery technology."
About City of Hope
City of Hope is a leading research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. Designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center, the highest honor bestowed by the National Cancer Institute, and a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, City of Hope's research and treatment protocols impact care throughout the nation. Founded in 1913, City of Hope is a pioneer in the fields of bone marrow transplantation and genetics and shares its scientific knowledge with medical centers locally and globally, helping patients battling serious diseases. For more information, visit cityofhope.org.
About Nastech
Nastech is a pharmaceutical company developing innovative products based on proprietary molecular biology-based drug delivery technologies. Nastech and its collaboration partners are developing products for multiple therapeutic areas including osteoporosis, diabetes, obesity, respiratory diseases and inflammatory conditions. Additional information about Nastech is available at nastech.com .
Nastech Forward Looking Statements
Statements made in this press release may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Federal Securities laws that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and involve factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or suggested. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (i) the ability of Nastech to obtain additional funding; (ii) the ability of Nastech to attract and/or maintain manufacturing, research, development and commercialization partners; (iii) Nastech's and/or a partner's ability to successfully complete product research and development, including preclinical and clinical studies and commercialization; (iv) Nastech's and/or a partner's ability to obtain required governmental approvals; and (v) Nastech's and/or a partner's ability to develop and commercialize products that can compete favorably with those of competitors. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or suggested in any forward-looking statements are contained in Nastech's most recent periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Nastech assumes no obligation to update and supplement forward-looking statements because of subsequent events.
CONTACTS:
Nastech
Ed Bell
Senior Investor Relations Manager
(425) 908-3639
Noonan Russo
Matthew Haines (Investors/Media)
(212) 845-4235
City of Hope
Shawn Le
Senior Media Relations Specialist
800-888-5323
ir@nastech.com sle@coh.org
CONTACT: Nastech: Ed Bell, Senior Investor Relations Manager,+1-425-908-3639, ; or Noonan Russo: Matthew Haines (Investors& Media), +1-212-845-4235; or City of Hope: Shawn Le, Senior MediaRelations Specialist, +800-888-5323, ir@nastech.com sle@coh.org
Web site: nastech.com
Ticker Symbol: (NASDAQ-NMS:NSTK)
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NASTECH
Nasal Drug Delivery
Nastech studies of the nasal mucosa include the development and optimization of cell culture and assay systems for human nasal tissue. This enables the study of tight junction function and improvement in the delivery of drugs by developing better formulations.
In addition to developing improved nasal formulations, we are applying our knowledge of tight junctions to other tissues and other delivery systems. We believe that our growing expertise in tight junction science will be directly applicable to enhancing oral and other drug delivery routes. For example, an area of ongoing research is discovering ways of improving the delivery of drugs directly to the Central Nervous System (CNS) through nasal administration and by manipulating tight junctions at the blood-brain barrier. These approaches hold great promise for the development of effective neurological drugs for treating diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, schizophrenia and pain.
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