RNA Interference News and Research

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Caltech-led trial demonstrates feasibility of nanoparticles and RNAi-based therapeutics for treating cancer

A California Institute of Technology -led team of researchers and clinicians has published the first proof that a targeted nanoparticle-used as an experimental therapeutic and injected directly into a patient's bloodstream-can traffic into tumors, deliver double-stranded small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), and turn off an important cancer gene using a mechanism known as RNA interference (RNAi).

22 Mar 2010

Hercules Technology Growth Capital commits over $52.0M in structured debt financing

Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc., the leading specialty finance company providing venture debt and equity to venture capital and private equity-backed technology and life science companies at all stages of development, today announced that it has committed over $52.0 million in structured debt financing to new and existing portfolio companies.

19 Mar 2010

Gene research offers new hope for targeted breast cancer treatment

CANCER RESEARCH UK scientists have developed a system to identify faulty or missing genes that could prevent specific chemotherapy regimes from working. This opens the doors for targeted breast cancer treatment, according to research published in the Lancet Oncology* today (Monday).

2 Mar 2010

Individuals who naturally lack CCR5 receptor have resistant to HIV

UCLA AIDS Institute researchers successfully removed CCR5 - a cell receptor to which HIV-1 binds for infection but which the human body does not need - from human cells. Individuals who naturally lack the CCR5 receptor have been found to be essentially resistant to HIV.

26 Feb 2010

Schizophrenia: Insight into late development of symptoms

In reports of two new studies, researchers led by Johns Hopkins say they have identified the mechanisms rooted in two anatomical brain abnormalities that may explain the onset of schizophrenia and the reason symptoms don't develop until young adulthood. Both types of anatomical glitches are influenced by a gene known as DISC1, whose mutant form was first identified in a Scottish family with a strong history of schizophrenia and related mental disorders. The findings could lead to new ways to treat, prevent or modify the disorder or its symptoms.

26 Feb 2010

New research units established for Japanese-German research collaboration

With its ten new Research Units, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is intensifying interdisciplinary and multiple-location collaboration among researchers pursuing specific scientific questions and new avenues of research.

17 Feb 2010

Researchers explore cellular networks that regulate cell morphology

Cellular imaging offers a wealth of data about how cells respond to stimuli, but harnessing this technique to study biological systems is a daunting challenge.

9 Feb 2010

Global market for oncology drugs is forecast to reach $80 billion by 2050

New Medicine's Oncology KnowledgeBASE (nm/OK) residing at http://nmok.net became available on the Internet 10 years ago and, since then, the oncology field has evolved into one of the most challenging, complex and promising drug development sectors, both in terms of its potential contribution to medicine and to its market opportunities.

29 Jan 2010

Proteomics study reveals protein suppression makes cancers more susceptible to chemotherapy

Taxanes, a group of cancer drugs that includes paclitaxel (Taxol-) and docetaxel (Taxotere-), have become front-line therapy for a variety of metastatic cancers. But as with many chemotherapy agents, resistance can develop, a frequent problem in breast, ovarian, prostate and other cancers.

27 Jan 2010

New pre-clinical data on RXi Pharmaceuticals' proprietary rxRNA compounds presented

RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company pursuing the development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi), today announced that new pre-clinical data using proprietary rxRNA™ compounds was presented at the Keystone Symposia’s RNA Silencing: Mechanism, Biology and Application held January 14-19 in Keystone, Colorado.

20 Jan 2010

Sirnaomics certifies polypeptide nanoparticle technology

Sirnaomics, Inc. (www.sirnaomics.com) announced today that the company has licensed a polypeptide nanoparticle technology invented by Professor A. James Mixson of University of Maryland Medical School.

18 Jan 2010

Scientists determine how RNAi, a biological response to RNA, can regulate gene expression

A team of scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has determined a hierarchical set of criteria that explain how the molecular precursors of gene-regulating small RNAs are sorted by the cellular machinery.

5 Jan 2010

Dicerna Pharmaceuticals and Kyowa Hakko Kirin sign research collaboration and license agreement

Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (Dicerna) a second generation RNA interference (RNAi) company developing novel therapeutics utilizing its proprietary Dicer Substrate Technology™ and Dicer Substrate siRNA (DsiRNA) molecules, and Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. (Kyowa Hakko Kirin), one of Japan's leading biopharmaceutical companies, announced today that the two companies have entered into a research collaboration and license agreement for the research, development and commercialization of drug delivery systems and DsiRNA pharmaceuticals for therapeutic targets in oncology.

4 Jan 2010

Successful RNA interference to turn off multiple genes raises hope for new liver disease treatments

Researchers at MIT and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals report this week that they have successfully used RNA interference to turn off multiple genes in the livers of mice, an advance that could lead to new treatments for diseases of the liver and other organs.

29 Dec 2009

2010 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research open for nomination

The Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research has opened the 2010 call for nominations. The $100,000 Award recognizes individuals whose efforts have made significant transformational contributions towards the improvement of human health. Nomination forms are available at pauljanssenaward.com and will be accepted until February 15, 2010.

18 Dec 2009

Comprehensive approaches to understand the interaction of H1N1 strains with human cells

Scientists have generated hundreds of new leads in the fight against the H1N1 flu pandemic, according to two new studies published online December 17th in the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication.

18 Dec 2009

Silence Therapeutics and Intradigm merge to form RNAi

The Boards of Silence Therapeutics plc and Intradigm Corporation are delighted to announce the merger of their businesses to form a leading company in the field of RNAi (RNA interference).

17 Dec 2009

Cequent Pharmaceuticals' IND application for CEQ508 approved for clinical trial

Cequent Pharmaceuticals, a pioneer in the development of novel products to deliver RNAi-based treatments to prevent and treat human disease, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) approved Cequent's first IND (investigational new drug) application yesterday.

10 Dec 2009

Mouse study suggests response to injury-induced growth factors can be revived

Brain and spinal-cord injuries typically leave people with permanent impairment because the injured nerve fibers (axons) cannot regrow. A study from Children's Hospital Boston, published in the December 10 issue of the journal Neuron, shows that axons can regenerate vigorously in a mouse model when a gene that suppresses natural growth factors is deleted.