Nucleic Acid News and Research

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Key mechanism for systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics using LNPs discovered

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it has discovered a key mechanism related to the systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics using lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). The new pre-clinical research was presented at the “Advances in Biopharmaceuticals” Keystone Symposium held January 8-13, 2010 in Midway, Utah, and was performed in collaboration with scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics.

9 Jan 2010

Researchers discover rules that dictate the three-dimensional shapes of RNA molecules

University of Michigan researchers have discovered the rules that dictate the three-dimensional shapes of RNA molecules, rules that are based not on complex chemical interactions but simply on geometry.

8 Jan 2010

Vienna scientists develop new technique for producing H1N1 vaccines

Scientists in Vienna have developed a new technique for producing vaccines for H1N1, 'swine flu', based on insect cells. The research, published today in the Biotechnology Journal, reveals how influenza vaccines can be produced faster than through the traditional method of egg-based production, revealing a new strategy for the fight against influenza pandemics.

5 Jan 2010

Research may point to more effective therapeutic targets for prion diseases

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have determined for the first time that prions, bits of infectious protein devoid of DNA or RNA that can cause fatal neurodegenerative disease, are capable of Darwinian evolution.

4 Jan 2010

Advances in development of “lipidoid” formulations for systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, and collaborators from the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) today announced the publication of new data in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) describing further advancements in discovery and development of novel “lipidoid” formulations for the systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics.

30 Dec 2009

Viron Therapeutics' three drug candidates granted U.S. patents

Viron Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering the development of virally-derived protein therapeutics, today announced that it has been granted U.S. patents related to three of its drug candidates, VT-111, VT-346 and VT-384.

23 Dec 2009

Regulus Therapeutics wins exclusive rights to modulate microRNAs

Regulus Therapeutics Inc., founded by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced today that it has obtained exclusive rights from the California Institute of Technology to inventions made in the laboratory of David Baltimore, Ph.D. covering methods and compositions for modulating microRNA-146 and microRNA-155.

18 Dec 2009

New SPC3649 drug found effective in treating HCV infections

In a dramatic finding, a new drug for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections that targets liver cells produced a substantial drop in blood levels of the virus in animals and continued to work up to several months after treatment, say scientists at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR) in San Antonio.

4 Dec 2009

Santaris Pharma's LNA technology based microRNA-targeted therapy holds promise for HCV

A study published online in this week's Science shows that SPC3649, a breakthrough microRNA-targeted therapy developed by Santaris Pharma A/S using its proprietary Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) technology, holds promise as a novel treatment for patients infected with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV).

4 Dec 2009

Study on Helicos BioSciences' single molecule sequencing technology published

Helicos BioSciences Corporation today announced the publication of a landmark study by Dr. Bradley Bernstein of the Massachusetts General Hospital describing the use of Helicos’ single molecule sequencing technology for the performance of genome-wide, epigenomic experiments using minute amounts of nucleic acid.

4 Dec 2009

FDA approves additional intended use of Roche's cobas TaqScreen MPX Test

Roche announced today that the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved an additional intended use for its licensed nucleic acid test, to screen source plasma in pools comprised of up to 96 individual donations. The test, called the cobas® TaqScreen MPX Test for use on the cobas s 201 system, is a qualitative, in-vitro test for the simultaneous, direct detection of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1 Group M RNA, HIV-1 Group O RNA , HIV-2 RNA), hepatitis C virus RNA and hepatitis B virus DNA in human plasma.

From Roche Sequencing and Life Science 2 Dec 2009

Roche's MagNA Pure 96 System for nucleic acid purification evaluated

TriCore Reference Laboratories of Albuquerque, N.M., reported at a recent user meeting results of their research collaboration with Roche Applied Science in which they evaluated Roche´s new MagNA Pure 96 System for use in nucleic acid purification. The evaluation focused on the Roche system’s ability to process specimens for pathogen testing.

1 Dec 2009

Researchers uncover atomic-level action of ring-shaped protein motors

The atomic-level action of a remarkable class of ring-shaped protein motors has been uncovered by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) using a state-of-the-art protein crystallography beamline at the Advanced Light Source (ALS).

25 Nov 2009

FDA provides marketing clearance for Prodesse's ProParaflu+ assay

Gen-Probe Incorporated announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared for marketing Prodesse's ProParaflu+(TM) assay, a molecular test that detects and differentiates parainfluenza 1, 2 and 3 viruses, which cause lower respiratory tract infections.

25 Nov 2009

BD acquires HandyLab for $275 million

BD today announced the completion of its acquisition of HandyLab, Inc., an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company that develops and manufactures molecular diagnostic assays and automation platforms.

From BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) 20 Nov 2009

Ionian Technologies receives supplemental funding from the Gates Foundation

Ionian Technologies, Inc., will continue its efforts to develop a rapid point-of-care diagnostics platform for use in the developing world with supplemental funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This grant from the Foundation will extend the total commitment to this program, which was initiated in November 2008, to $3 million over two years.

18 Nov 2009

Roche receives EUA from FDA for its RealTime ready Influenza A/H1N1 Detection Set for the 2009 H1N1 virus

Roche`s RealTime ready Influenza A/H1N1 Detection Set for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus has received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Roche kit detects RNA from the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus and allows rapid and accurate identification of patients infected with this virus.

17 Nov 2009