Oligonucleotide News and Research

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Phase II result reveals effectiveness of GS-101 eye drops at inhibiting corneal neovascularisation

Gene Signal, a company focused on developing innovative drugs to manage angiogenesis based conditions, today announced the publication of interim results from a phase II study suggesting that the antisense oligonucleotide GS-101 (eye drops) is safe and effective at inhibiting and regressing corneal neovascularisation (abnormal new blood vessel growth).

1 Sep 2009

Research reveals that large non-coding RNA in mammals play an important role in telomere maintenance

A team of researchers from The Wistar Institute have shown that a large non-coding RNA in mammals and yeast plays a central role in helping maintain telomeres, the tips of chromosomes that contain important genetic information and help regulate cell division. Since this RNA also facilitates the formation of DNA at telomeres-a process that can protect aging cells and destabilize tumor cells-manipulating its expression may be useful in treating cancer and other diseases.

1 Sep 2009

Lakewood-Amedex to speed up development of its broad spectrum anti-influenza product into clinical studies

Lakewood-Amedex Inc., (L-A), the anti-infectives biopharmaceutical company developing a unique portfolio of anti-bacterial and anti-viral products including NuBiotics, a novel family of synthetic anti-bacterial compounds, and anti-viral products against hepatitis, HIV and influenza, announced today that it is accelerating development of its broad spectrum anti-influenza product into clinical studies.

27 Aug 2009

Shire collaborates with Santaris Pharma to develop Locked Nucleic Acid technology

Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announces today that it has entered into a research-based collaboration with Santaris Pharma A/S, a leading player in RNA-based therapeutics, to develop its proprietary Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) technology in a range of rare diseases, thereby enabling Shire to build on its already strong competitive position for its Human Genetic Therapies (HGT) business.

25 Aug 2009

Santaris Pharma to discover and develop new RNA-based medicines for treating rare genetic disorders

Santaris Pharma A/S, a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on developing RNA-based drugs targeted to disease-related mRNAs and microRNAs, today announced a multi-year worldwide strategic alliance with Shire plc to discover and develop new RNA-based medicines to treat rare genetic disorders.

24 Aug 2009

New approach to remove toxic agent that causes myotonic dystrophy

Cell biologists from the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre (Nijmegen, the Netherlands) describe a new approach to remove the toxic agent that causes the neuromuscular disease myotonic dystrophy. Their findings are published in the scientific journal The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

11 Aug 2009

Gene Signal publishes phase I data on GS-101 for diseases of the eye

Gene Signal, a company focused on developing innovative drugs to manage angiogenesis based conditions, has announced publication of data from a phase I study demonstrating that the antisense oligonucleotide GS-101 (eye drops) is safe, with no signs of intolerability following administration to healthy volunteers.

11 Aug 2009

Oncogenex Pharmaceuticals issued key patent

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: OGXI), today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has issued United States Patent Number 7,569,551 entitled "Chemo-and Radiation-sensitization of Cancer by Antisense TRPM-2 Oligodeoxynucleotides," on the method of using OncoGenex' lead cancer drug candidate, OGX-011, to treat certain cancers.

10 Aug 2009

Aptamers offer unique therapeutic advantages

A novel class of drugs composed of single strands of DNA or RNA, called aptamers, can bind protein targets with a high strength and specificity and are currently in clinical development as treatments for a broad range of common diseases, as described in a comprehensive review article published online ahead of print in Oligonucleotides.

5 Aug 2009

Discovery of potential treatment for spinal muscular atrophy

Spinal Muscular Atrophy is the second-leading cause of infant mortality in the world. Ravindra Singh, associate professor in biomedical sciences at Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, would like to see Spinal Muscular Atrophy lose its high ranking and even slide off the list altogether.

28 Jul 2009

Genetic source of muscular dystrophy blocked

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have found a way to block the genetic flaw at the heart of a common form of muscular dystrophy. The results of the study, which were published today in the journal Science, could pave the way for new therapies that essentially reverse the symptoms of the disease.

17 Jul 2009

DNA compounds show promise for Lupus

A research team led by a University of Iowa investigator has generated DNA-like compounds that effectively inhibit the cells responsible for systemic lupus erythematosus -- the most common and serious form of lupus. There currently is no cure for this chronic autoimmune condition that damages the skin, joints and internal organs and affects an estimated one million Americans.

27 May 2009

Researchers target telomeres to attack tumors

Hoping to develop more effective long-term attacks on cancer, researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine are conducting the first human tests of a breast cancer drug regimen that includes a compound meant to force cancer cells to grow old and die.

5 May 2009

Researchers look at genetic dynamics of inbreeding depression

Researchers have taken a first look at the broad genetic changes that accompany reproductive declines in inbred populations.

12 Mar 2009

Novel gene silencing platform

A team of researchers led by Rutgers' Samuel Gunderson has developed a novel gene silencing platform with very significant improvements over existing RNAi approaches.

16 Feb 2009

Novel gene silencing platform

A team of researchers led by Rutgers' Samuel Gunderson has developed a novel gene silencing platform with very significant improvements over existing RNAi approaches.

8 Feb 2009

Wyeth and Santaris Pharma to collaborate on RNA-based medicines

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth, and Santaris Pharma have announced that the companies have entered into a worldwide strategic alliance to discover, develop and commercialize new medicines based on Santaris Pharma's proprietary Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) drug platform, which allows specific targeting and regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) as a means to affect gene expression mediated by the targeted RNAs.

12 Jan 2009

Patient-derived induced stem cells retain disease traits

The dying cells - the same type lost in patients with the devastating neurological disease spinal muscular atrophy - confirmed that the University of Wisconsin-Madison stem cell biologist had recreated the hallmarks of a genetic disorder in the lab, using stem cells derived from a patient.

22 Dec 2008

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals update on Kreutzer-Limmer patent estate

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that the European Patent Office (EPO) has ruled in favor of the Appellants in oral proceedings before the Board of Appeals related to the '623 (EP 1144623) patent in its Kreutzer-Limmer patent estate.

10 Dec 2008

Roche NimbleGen launches microarrays for analysis of DNA copy number variation

Roche NimbleGen, Inc. has launched NimbleGen Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) microarrays in a 12x135K format for analysis of DNA copy number variation.

19 Nov 2008