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Biotech / Medical : RNAi -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Thomas who wrote (446)	3/27/2006 6:39:49 AM
From: Thomas	Respond to of 671

Followup announcement from ALNY: Alnylam Announces New Collaboration and Agreements for Key Delivery Technologies; Extends Leading Capabilities of Alnylam in Systemic RNAi 3/27/2006 6:00:00 AM EST Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY), a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it has entered into two new relationships providing access to key technologies for the systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics. The first agreement is with Inex Pharmaceuticals Corporation (TSX: IEX) and provides access to fundamental liposome delivery technology for systemic RNAi therapeutics. The second agreement is with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), and provides access to novel liposome technology being developed in the laboratory of Professor Robert S. Langer. Today Alnylam also announced the publication in Nature of the first demonstration of therapeutic gene silencing in primates with systemic RNAi using liposomal delivery technology. "We believe that the work we reported today in Nature represents a major step forward in the development of systemic RNAi therapeutics", said John Maraganore, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. "Liposomal delivery technology played an important role in this advance, and we believe that these agreements with Inex and M.I.T. position us to expand our pipeline of direct and systemic RNAi therapeutics by applying this technology." Alnylam and Inex have executed an agreement under which Alnylam has the option to take worldwide exclusive licenses to use Inex's liposomal technology for RNAi therapeutics directed to specific gene targets. Alnylam will pay option fees to Inex and, in connection with any exclusive license it subsequently takes, license fees, milestone payments and royalties on product sales. In addition, Alnylam and Inex have entered into a research collaboration under which the two companies will explore the potential of various liposomal formulations for delivery of RNAi therapeutics. "As pioneers in the development of lipid-based drug delivery systems, we are enthusiastic about joining forces with the pioneers in RNAi therapeutics to explore novel delivery solutions for this exciting new class of drugs," said Timothy M. Ruane, President and Chief Executive Officer of Inex. "By taking advantage of the leadership of each company in its respective field, we expect this relationship to significantly accelerate the development of truly novel drugs for important diseases." Alnylam also announced today that it has executed an agreement with M.I.T. granting the company an option to take licenses to novel liposomal drug delivery systems that are being developed in the laboratory of Professor Robert S. Langer. Early preclinical testing has indicated that these novel delivery systems offer considerable promise for systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics. "We are very enthusiastic about our new formulation technology being developed for siRNA delivery," said Robert S. Langer, Ph.D., Institute Professor at M.I.T. "Based on Alnylam's encouraging data published today in Nature, we believe this approach holds considerable promise for the delivery of innovative medicines that harness the RNAi pathway to address human disease." About RNA Interference (RNAi) RNA interference, or RNAi, is a naturally occurring mechanism within cells for selectively silencing and regulating specific genes. Since many diseases are caused by the inappropriate activity of specific genes, the ability to silence genes selectively through RNAi could provide a new way to treat a wide range of human diseases. RNAi is induced by small, double-stranded RNA molecules. RNAi is activated by chemically synthesized small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, which are double-stranded RNAs that are targeted to a specific disease-associated gene. The siRNA molecules are used by the natural RNAi machinery in cells to cause highly targeted gene silencing. Alnylam's initial drug development programs are focused on Direct RNAi(TM) therapeutics which are siRNAs administered directly to diseased parts of the body. In parallel, the company is developing Systemic RNAi(TM) therapeutics that travel through the bloodstream to reach diseased parts of the body. About Alnylam Alnylam is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics based on RNA interference, or RNAi. The company is applying its therapeutic expertise in RNAi to address significant medical needs, many of which cannot effectively be addressed with small molecules or antibodies, the current major classes of drugs. Alnylam is building a pipeline of RNAi therapeutics; its lead program is in Phase I human clinical trials for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, which is the leading cause of hospitalization in infants in the U.S. The company's leadership position in fundamental patents, technology, and know-how relating to RNAi has enabled it to form major alliances with leading companies including Merck, Medtronic, and Novartis. The company, founded in 2002, maintains global headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has an additional operating unit in Kulmbach, Germany. Alnylam is honored to be the 'emerging/mid-cap' company recipient of the 2006 James D. Watson Helix Award, the biotechnology industry's award for outstanding achievement. For more information, please visit www.alnylam.com.