Regulus Therapeutics Inc. announced today that the United States Patent
and Trademark Office (USPTO) has allowed claims in U.S. Application
Serial No. 11/977,506 covering methods of antagonizing miR-181a to
regulate immune response. This patent is owned by Stanford University
and licensed exclusively to Regulus. miR-181a has been shown to regulate
the response of immune cells, such as T lymphocytes, to specific stimuli
and modulation of miR-181a could lead to a novel treatment of
inflammatory disease.
“More broadly, we continue to build a robust patent
portfolio that supports our strategy of developing and commercializing
high-impact microRNA-based therapeutics in multiple disease areas.”
“We are pleased with the decision of the USPTO to allow this first
application based on the Li et al. patent filing. We are applying our
expertise in microRNA biology and nucleic acid chemistry to develop
novel medicines for treating inflammatory disease, and this new
allowance will expand the scope of our exclusivity surrounding the
anti-miR approach to miR-181a,” said Garry E. Menzel, Ph.D., Executive
Vice President of Corporate Development and Finance of Regulus
Therapeutics. “More broadly, we continue to build a robust patent
portfolio that supports our strategy of developing and commercializing
high-impact microRNA-based therapeutics in multiple disease areas.”