Oligonucleotides News and Research

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Oligonucleotides are short sequences of nucleotides (RNA or DNA), typically with twenty or fewer bases. Automated synthesizers allow the synthesis of oligonucleotides up to 160 to 200 bases.

Bioniche announces issuance of new patents for MCC, Oligonucleotide technology platforms

Bioniche Life Sciences Inc., a research-based, technology-driven Canadian biopharmaceutical company, today announced the issuance of a number of patents for its proprietary Mycobacterial Cell Wall-DNA Complex (MCC) composition and its Oligonucleotide technology platform.

18 Jun 2010

Alnylam, Mount Sinai scientists discover svRNAs that play a critical role in influenza A virus replication

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today the publication of new research findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by Alnylam scientists and collaborators from Mount Sinai School of Medicine. In the new study, Alnylam and Mount Sinai scientists discovered a novel class of virus-produced small non-coding RNAs, called small viral RNAs (svRNAs), which play a critical role in the replication of influenza A virus.

2 Jun 2010

Regulus Therapeutics obtains rights to intellectual property covering methods for modulating microRNA-21

Regulus Therapeutics Inc. announced today that it has obtained exclusive rights from the University of Wuerzburg to intellectual property covering methods for modulating microRNA-21. Regulus scientists and collaborators have shown that microRNA-21, (miR-21), is dysregulated in mouse models of cardiac disease and fibrosis, and that antagonizing miR-21 with therapeutic oligonucleotides targeting miR-21 inhibits fibrosis and attenuates cardiac function in such models. Regulus is currently developing a microRNA therapeutic targeting miR-21 as an anti-fibrotic therapy.

28 May 2010

NOXXON Pharma closes €33 million Series D round of financing

NOXXON Pharma AG, a company focused on the development of mirror image oligonucleotide therapeutics called Spiegelmers®, announced today the successful closing of a €33 million Series D round of financing. The round was led by new investor, NGN Capital, and joined by existing investors TVM Capital, Sofinnova Partners, Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners, Seventure Partners, VC Fonds Technologie Berlin GmbH, Dow Venture Capital, FCP OP MEDICAL BioHealth-Trends, IBG Beteiligungsgesellschaft Sachsen-Anhalt mbH, the Dieckell Group, and others.

27 May 2010

EPO rules in favor of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals’ Kreutzer-Limmer '945 patent

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that the Board of Appeals of the European Patent Office (EPO) has ruled that claims of the Kreutzer-Limmer '945 (EP 1214945) patent meet needed requirements under European patent law. The '945 patent comprises broad claims covering the length and certain structural requirements for siRNAs that are important for advancement of RNAi therapeutics.

20 May 2010

Genzyme to initiate $2 billion stock buyback

Genzyme Corp. today announced that its Board of Directors has voted to pursue several actions to increase shareholder value. The company will initiate a $2 billion stock buyback, under which $1 billion of stock will be repurchased in the near term and financed with debt. The additional $1 billion of stock will be repurchased during the next 12 months.

7 May 2010

Idera Pharmaceuticals reports net loss of $1.9M for first-quarter 2010

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company engaged in the discovery and development of DNA- and RNA-based drug candidates targeted to Toll-like Receptors, today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010.

5 May 2010

NOXXON Pharma completes first-in-human clinical trial with Spiegelmer NOX-A12

NOXXON Pharma AG, the biopharmaceutical company focusing on the development of novel drugs based on its unique proprietary Spiegelmer® technology, announced today the successful completion of the first-in-human clinical trial with Spiegelmer® NOX-A12.

3 May 2010

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals announces EPO intent to grant notification for patent series covering RNAi therapeutics

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that the European Patent Office (EPO) has issued a notification of an intent to grant for the "Manoharan II" patent series (EP Application No 04 718 537), titled "Therapeutic Compositions." The new patent includes 16 claims covering compositions and methods, including pharmaceutical compositions, for chemically modified siRNAs containing phosphorothioate and 2′-O-alkyl modifications without any siRNA length restrictions.

3 May 2010

Avecia Biotechnology reaches agreement with Pfizer to market Macugen

Avecia Biotechnology, Inc., a leading provider of drug development and manufacturing services for oligonucleotide therapeutics, has reached agreement with Pfizer Inc. regarding the commercial supply of a key component of Macugen (pegaptanib sodium injection), marketed in the E.U. by Pfizer for the treatment of wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

26 Apr 2010

Mirina closes Versant led Series A-1 financing

Mirina Corporation, a privately held biotechnology company focused on the generation of novel microRNA (miRNA) therapeutics with improved properties, announced today that it has closed a Series A-1 financing. The round was led by new investor Versant Ventures. Previous investors Alexandria Real Estate Equities, ARCH Venture Partners, OVP Venture Partners and WRF Capital also participated in the round. In conjunction with this financing, Brian Atwood, Managing Director of Versant Ventures, will join the Board of Directors.

26 Apr 2010

RXi Pharmaceuticals to present data on rxRNA therapeutic platform development at upcoming conferences

RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company pursuing the development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi), today announced that senior members of its management will be presenting at upcoming conferences and will highlight critical aspects of the development of RXi's next generation rxRNA™ therapeutic platform as well as specific preclinical data generated with this platform.

24 Apr 2010

Golub Capital provides $12.0M of senior subordinated debt to support recapitalization of IDT

Golub Capital today announced that it has provided $12.0 million of senior subordinated debt to support the recapitalization and ongoing growth of Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc. This transaction marks the first investment made by GC 2009 Mezzanine Partners, L.P., which is Golub Capital's sixth fund dedicated to middle market mezzanine debt financings.

From Integrated DNA Technologies 24 Apr 2010

Sigma Life Science announces global release of CompoZr Targeted Integration Kit

Sigma® Life Science, the innovative biological products and services brand of Sigma-Aldrich®, today announced an extension to its award-winning CompoZr® product offering with the global release of the CompoZr Targeted Integration Kit, AAVS1. This kit provides a powerful method for the controlled transgene integration and expression of any gene in any human cell line using Sigma-Aldrich's proprietary CompoZr Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZFN) technology.

20 Apr 2010

Radiolabeled hedgehog can differentiate stem-like cancer cells, identify aggressive tumors

At the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010, scientists and clinicians will present more than 6,300 abstracts dealing with innovative aspects of biology, technology and emerging therapies.

19 Apr 2010

New p53 knockout rat model improves timelines for carcinogenicity screening

Sigma Life Science, the innovative biological products and services brand of Sigma-Aldrich, today introduced the world's first p53 'knockout' rat model, an important development that is expected to, due to the rat's closer physiological and metabolic similarity to humans, significantly improve timelines for carcinogenicity screening and reduce time to market for therapeutics.

19 Apr 2010

Regulus Therapeutics' metabolic disease program data presented at Diabetes Keystone Symposium

Regulus Therapeutics Inc. today announced that new data from its metabolic disease program were presented at the "Diabetes" Keystone Symposium held April 12-17 in Whistler, British Columbia. The new pre-clinical research findings showed that therapeutic oligonucleotides targeting microRNA are able to improve insulin resistance and normalize plasma glucose in mouse models of diabetes while having no significant effect on glucose or insulin levels in normal mice.

16 Apr 2010

Sigma Life Science announces latest version of 'Your Favorite Gene Powered By Ingenuity' research portal

Sigma® Life Science, the innovative biological products and services brand of Sigma-Aldrich®, today announced a significant expansion to its web-based biological research portal for exploring dynamic gene-based content, Your Favorite Gene Powered By Ingenuity (http://www.wherebiobegins.com/yfg).

13 Apr 2010

TriLink partners with Cedarlane to enhance distribution of its products in Canada

TriLink BioTechnologies, has entered into an agreement with Cedarlane Corporation, a Canadian based research biotechnology company, for the sale and distribution of its modified nucleoside triphosphates, custom chemistry and oligonucleotide products.

9 Apr 2010

USPTO allows Alnylam Pharmaceuticals' new claims from Woppmann et al. patent series

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that the United States Patent Office (USPTO) has allowed a patent (Application No. 10/560,336) for the Woppmann et al. patent series, entitled "Double-stranded ribonucleic acid with increased effectiveness in an organism." The newly allowed patent includes 31 claims broadly covering compositions and methods, including pharmaceutical compositions, for small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), the molecules that mediate RNAi.

8 Apr 2010