FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Silence Therapeutics signs collaboration with miRagen Therapeutics to evaluate delivery of novel microRNA-based therapeutics-- Third collaboration to investigate the potential application of Silence's proprietary RNAi delivery technologies in the development of novel microRNA- based therapeutics --
London, UK, January 9, 2011 - Silence Therapeutics
plc(AIM: SLN) ("Silence"), a leading
RNAinterference (RNAi) therapeutics
company, announces that it has signed an agreement with
miRagen Therapeutics, Inc. ("miRagen"), to assess the
delivery potential of Silence's proprietary
DBTC delivery systemwith miRagen's novel
microRNA- (miRNA-) based therapeutics. MiRagen is a
pre-clinical stage biopharmaceutical company founded to
develop innovative miRNA-based therapeutics for the treatment
of cardiovascular and muscle disease.
Under the terms of the agreement, miRagen will provide
Silence with specific miRNA sequences, which Silence will
formulate with its proprietary DBTC delivery system in order
to develop multiple candidate drugs. MiRagen will undertake
in vitro and in vivo studies of the candidate drugs developed
under the agreement and select lead candidates for further
evaluation. Financial terms of the collaboration are not
disclosed.
DBTCis a proprietary
RNAidelivery system developed by Silence.
It is a novel lipid-based formulation that functionally
delivers short interfering RNA (
siRNA) to liver endothelial cells, hepatocytes and other
liver cell types with high efficiency.
Thomas Christély, Chief Executive Officer of Silence Therapeutics, said: "We are delighted to be collaborating with miRagen. This is the third collaboration that we have recently signed to explore the use of Silence's delivery technologies for microRNAs, and the second that utilizes our novel DBTC delivery system that specifically delivers RNAi therapeutics to the liver. Whilst we remain internally focused on the delivery of our siRNA therapies, we continue to broaden the potential value of our proprietary delivery systems by collaborating with partners. Functional delivery to target cells is widely recognized as one of the greatest challenges facing most nucleic acid therapies. Our three proprietary RNAi delivery systems,
AtuPLEX™, DACC and DBTC deliver effective doses of RNAi to key intracellular targets in vascular endothelium, lung and liver respectively, and provide our partners with a growing range of solutions to overcome their delivery challenges."
William S. Marshall, President and Chief Executive Officer of miRagen Therapeutics, said: "We are very pleased to have entered into this agreement with Silence Therapeutics, which gives us the opportunity to evaluate the efficacy of a promising delivery system in the context of microRNA manipulation. This is another example of miRagen's commitment to explore the potential of cutting-edge technologies with the ultimate goal of better serving patients in need." --Ends-- For further information, please contact:Silence Therapeutics Thomas Christély / Max Herrmann +49 30 9489 2800/+44 20 7491 6520 t.christely@silence-therapeutics.com m.herrmann@silence- therapeutics.com | miRagen Therapeutics Tammy Egan +1 720 407 4588 tegan@miragenrx.com |
Singer Capital Markets Shaun Dobson / Claes Spång +44 20 32057500 shaun.dobson@singercm.com claes.spang@singercm.com | M:Communications Mary-Jane Elliott / Emma Thompson / Claire Dickinson +44 20 7920 2345 silencetherapeutics@mcomgroup.com |
Silence Therapeutics plc (AIM: SLN) is a leading
biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery, development
and delivery of targeted, systemic RNA interference (RNAi)
therapeutics for the treatment of serious diseases. Silence
offers one of the most comprehensive short interfering RNA
(siRNA) therapeutic platforms available today based on a
strong intellectual property portfolio and large clinical
safety database. Silence's clinical siRNA product pipeline is
one of the broadest in the industry. The Company possesses
multiple proprietary siRNA delivery technology platforms
including AtuPLEX™, DACC and DBTC. AtuPLEX enables the broad
functional delivery of siRNA molecules to targeted diseased
tissues and cells, while increasing their bioavailability and
intracellular uptake. The DACC delivery system allows
functional delivery of siRNA molecules selectively to the
lung endothelium with a long duration of target mRNA and
protein knock-down. The DBTC delivery system enables
functional delivery of siRNA molecules selectively to liver
cells including hepatocytes. Additionally, the Company has a
platform of novel siRNA molecules based around its AtuRNAi
chemical modification technology, which provides a number of
advantages over conventional siRNA molecules. Silence's
unique RNAi assets also include structural features for RNAi
molecules and specific design rules for increased potency and
reduced off-target effects of siRNA sequences.
The Company's lead internal drug candidate is Atu027, a
liposomal formulation in clinical development for systemic
cancer indications and one of the most clinically advanced
RNAi therapeutic candidates in the area of oncology. Atu027
incorporates two of the Company's technologies, AtuRNAi and
AtuPLEX™. Silence is currently conducting an
open-label, single- centre, dose-escalation Phase I study
with Atu027 in patients with advanced solid tumors involving
single, as well as repeated, intravenous administration.
Encouraging interim safety and pharmacokinetic data were
presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual
Meeting in June 2011. The study is expected to be completed
in the first half of 2012.
The Company's RNAi therapeutic platform has received key
validation through multiple partnerships with pharmaceutical
companies including AstraZeneca, Dainippon Sumitomo,
Pfizer/Quark, and Novartis/Quark. Silence is actively
pursuing the establishment of additional partnerships.
Silence Therapeutics has operations in both Berlin and
London.
MiRagen Therapeutics, Inc., a pre-clinical stage
biopharmaceutical company, was founded in 2007 to develop
innovative microRNA-based therapeutics for cardiovascular and
muscle disease. MicroRNAs are short, single-stranded RNA
molecules encoded in the genome that regulate gene expression
and play a vital role in influencing cardiovascular and
muscle disease. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause
of death globally and represents an enormous burden on global
healthcare systems. MiRagen combines world recognized
leadership in cardiovascular medicine with unprecedented
in-house expertise in microRNA biology and chemistry. In
October 2011, miRagen and Les Laboratoires Servier, a leading
European pharmaceutical company, entered into a strategic
alliance for the research and development of microRNA-based
therapeutics in cardiovascular disease. For more information,
please visit www.miragentherapeutics.com.
MicroRNAs have emerged as an important class of small RNAs encoded in the genome. They act to control the expression of sets of genes and entire pathways and are thus thought of as master regulators of gene expression. Recent studies have demonstrated that microRNAs are associated with many disease processes. Because they are single molecular entities that dictate the expression of fundamental regulatory pathways, microRNAs represent potential drug targets for controlling many biologic and disease processes.
Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those referred to in the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Silence Therapeutics and Silence Therapeutics assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.
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