SLN to present Atu027 Phase I study data against solid cancer at ASCO Annual Meeting

Silence Therapeutics plc (AIM: SLN) ("Silence" or the "Company") a leading global RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics company, announces that interim data from its ongoing Phase I clinical study of Atu027, the Company's lead internal therapeutic candidate, have been accepted for poster presentation at the 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology ("ASCO") Annual Meeting.  The meeting will take place in Chicago June 3-7, 2011.  Atu027, in clinical development for systemic cancer indications, is one of the most clinically advanced RNAi therapeutics in the area of oncology.  

Klaus Giese, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Silence, and Dr. Dirk Strumberg, Professor of Medicine and Director, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, University of Bochum, Marienhospital Herne, the study's principal investigator, will present abstract #3057 titled "First-in-human phase I study of Atu027, a liposomal small interfering RNA formulation, targeting protein kinase N3 (PKN3) in patients with advanced solid tumors."

The presentation will highlight data from Silence's ongoing, open label, single-centre, dose-finding Phase I study with Atu027 in subjects with advanced solid cancer.  Key findings presented will include safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic data, as well as indications of antitumor activity.  Previously published preclinical data demonstrated that treatment with Atu027 prevented the spread of breast cancer to the lungs in preclinical models of cancer metastases, and interim data from the ongoing Phase I clinical trial suggests that Atu027 could have a similar therapeutic effect in humans.

"We are pleased to have our abstract accepted by ASCO and believe that presenting this data at such a prestigious scientific conference represents an important milestone in our efforts to translate our foundational RNAi technology into viable therapeutic products," said Philip Haworth, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Silence Therapeutics.  

Silence expects to complete the ongoing Phase I clinical trial of Atu027 in the second half of 2011.