Australia's leading science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), has been granted foundational patents in the US and Europe for short hairpin RNAi (shRNA) gene silencing technology.
shRNA technology is a powerful method that is widely used as a research tool to test the function of genes and is being developed for a range of targeted therapies in humans. Potential human therapeutic applications using shRNA include protection against viruses, such as HIV or hepatitis. Animal applications include the selection of production traits in livestock and the treatment of, and protection against, diseases such as influenza in chickens.
The newly granted patents (US8183217 and EP1650306) substantially strengthen CSIRO's already extensive RNAi portfolio of more than 60 granted patents, stemming from the pioneering work of CSIRO Plant Industry scientists who were the first to develop hairpin RNA in 1997.
Hairpin RNAi technology was first used in plants and has revolutionised the search for genes responsible for valuable traits. The technology has since been developed for use in animals, particularly in mammals where shorter RNAi molecules are commonly used.
CSIRO makes its patented RNAi technologies available for licensing for research use and for the development of commercial products.
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