>>CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY - News), a leading RNAi therapeutics company, presented preclinical data at the Keystone Symposium on the "Diverse Roles of RNA in Gene Regulation" held in Breckenridge, Colorado. Alnylam scientists demonstrated positive in vivo efficacy data from the company's preclinical program to develop Direct RNAi(TM) therapeutics for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. In addition, company scientists continue to extend their recent findings on Systemic RNAi(TM), published in the journal Nature, and presented new data on therapeutic silencing of the endogenous gene for apolipoprotein B (apoB) using chemically modified short interfering RNAs (siRNAs), the molecules that mediate RNAi.
"These new data illustrate our continued progress in advancing Direct RNAi opportunities like our RSV program and in optimizing our technology for Systemic RNAi applications," said John Maraganore, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. "We are particularly encouraged by the data we presented from our RSV program, which suggest that RNAi therapeutics could be highly potent treatments for RSV infection."
The data from the company's RSV therapeutic development program demonstrated that multiple siRNAs targeting different genes within the RSV genome have potent anti-viral activity across major RSV subtypes in vitro, and that intranasal administration of siRNAs specifically inhibited RSV infection in vivo in mice. The inhibition of RSV infection in mice by RSV-specific siRNA was more potent than that observed with comparable dosages of a monoclonal antibody targeting RSV. Alnylam is currently advancing its RSV program and plans to initiate clinical trials in the first half of 2006.
In addition, Alnylam scientists presented new data on therapeutic gene silencing of the endogenous apoB gene by systemic delivery of an siRNA incorporating chemical modifications that provide it with certain "drug-like" properties. The new studies showed that silencing of the apoB gene by this siRNA was durable, lasting at least 7 days in liver and 3 days in intestine after a single systemic administration of the siRNA. Importantly, mice fed a high fat, "Western-type" diet and treated with this chemically modified siRNA were protected from developing elevated cholesterol levels as compared with mice treated with a saline control. Accordingly, the siRNA was shown to exhibit a therapeutic effect in a model of hypercholesterolemia.<<
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I found the post you were talking about, by rkrw. I'd like to say great minds think alike, but I know his mind is much greater, and it won't happen often for us two.
Cheers, Tuck |
