�Regulus Therapeutics LLC, a joint venture between Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY) and Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ISIS) formed to discover, develop, and commercialize microRNA-based therapeutics, announced the publication of new research in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology on the persona of the microRNA known as miR-21 in regulating certain cancer cells (1). Researchers at Regulus Therapeutics, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and other collaborators ascertained a new role for miR-21 in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most malignant and aggressive form of glioma, a primary psyche tumor.
Research performed in collaboration with Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and other researchers demonstrated that miR-21 is creditworthy for the regulation of multiple genes associated with glioma tumour cell death, migration and invasiveness. In the peer-reviewed research, scientists showed that increased miR-21 levels in tumor cells correlated with the course or aggressiveness of the tumor; highest levels of miR-21 were associated with the most aggressive forms of GBM. To clarify the function that miR-21 plays in GBM, anti-miR-21 compounds were used to inhibit miR-21 function in human tumor cells. Inhibiting miR-21 function affected the expression of genes associated with neoplasm invasiveness, proliferation, migration and other processes exploited by tumor cells. As a whole, these data correlative miR-21 regulation with the aggressiveness of the neoplasm, and hint that miR-21 is byzantine in the regulation of many different cellular processes necessary for tumorogenesis.
"The over-expression of miR-21 is observed in a variety show of cancers, including glioblastoma, breast, lung, colon and others. In this study we were able to identify genes affected by levels of miR-21 over-expression. Further, our studies show that block miR-21 mapping disrupted many of the pathways critical for neoplasm invasiveness and proliferation," aforesaid Peter Linsley, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Regulus Therapeutics. "This new enquiry adds to a quickly growing organic structure of evidence suggesting that inhibiting the function of a single microRNA could have a profound effect on multiple disease-causing proteins, thereby busy with intact cellular pathways and defining a newfangled therapeutic plan of attack for handling of disease."
(1) Gabriely G, Wurdinger T, Kesari S, Esau CC, Burchard J, Linsley PS, Krichevsky AM. MicroRNA 21 promotes glioma invasion by targeting matrix metalloproteinase regulators. Mol Cell Biol. 2008 Sep;28(17):5369-80. Epub 2008 Jun 30.
About microRNAs
microRNAs are a of late discovered class of genetically encoded little RNAs, roughly 20 nucleotides in length, and ar believed to regulate the expression of a big number of human genes. microRNA-based therapeutics represent a new advance for the treatment of a wide-cut range of human diseases. The inappropriate absence or presence of specific microRNAs in various cells has been shown to be associated with specific human diseases including cancer, viral infection, metabolic disorders and inflammatory disease. Targeting microRNAs with novel therapeutic agents could consequence in novel and broadly acting treatments for human diseases.
About Regulus
Regulus Therapeutics LLC is a biopharmaceutical company formed to discover, develop, and commercialize microRNA-based therapeutics. Regulus aspires to translate one of the most important new discoveries in biology into a novel new approach for advanced medicine and to establish the ahead microRNA company. Created as a reefer venture by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Isis Pharmaceuticals, Regulus benefits from oligonucleotide do drugs discovery expertise, an established technology, and a broad intellectual property estate created and amalgamate by its parent companies for the development and commercialization of microRNA-based therapeutics. Regulus' patent estate includes over 600 patents and more than 300 pending patent applications, pertaining in the first place to chemical modifications of oligonucleotides targeting microRNA for therapeutic applications. In improver, Regulus has collaborations with academic researchers to build on the company's understanding of more than 60 microRNAs. In April 2008, Regulus formed a major alliance with GlaxoSmithKline to explore microRNA therapeutics for inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. Regulus, founded in September 2007, maintains facilities in Carlsbad, California. For more information, see http://www.regulusrx.com.
About Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Isis is exploiting its expertise in RNA to discover and develop novel drugs for its product pipeline and for its partners. The Company has successfully commercialised the world's first antisense drug and has 18 drugs in development. Isis' drug development programs are focused on treating cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Isis' partners ar developing antisense drugs invented by Isis to plow a broad variety of diseases. Ibis Biosciences, Inc., Isis' majority-owned subsidiary, is developing and commercializing the Ibis T5000� Biosensor System, a revolutionary system to identify infectious organisms. Isis is a joint possessor of Regulus Therapeutics LLC, a join venture focussed on the discovery, maturation and commercialization of microRNA therapeutics. As an trailblazer in RNA-based drug find and development, Isis is the possessor or exclusive licensee of over 1,500 issued patents world. Additional information about Isis is available at hTTP://www.isispharm.com.
About Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Alnylam is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics based on RNA interference, or RNAi. The companionship is applying its therapeutic expertise in RNAi to address significant medical needs, many of which cannot effectively be addressed with small molecules or antibodies, the stream major classes of drugs. Alnylam is leading the translation of RNAi as a new class of innovative medicines with peer-reviewed research efforts published in the world's top scientific journals including Nature, Nature Medicine, and Cell. The company is leveraging these capabilities to build a broad line of RNAi therapeutics; its most advanced program is in Phase II human clinical trials for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. In addition, the company is developing RNAi therapeutics for the discourse of a wide compass of disease areas, including liver cancers, hypercholesterolemia, and Huntington's disease. The company's leadership position in cardinal patents, engineering, and know-how relating to RNAi has enabled it to form major alliances with ahead companies including Medtronic, Novartis, Biogen Idec, Roche, Takeda, and Kyowa Hakko Kogyo. To reflect its prospect for key scientific, clinical, and line initiatives, Alnylam has established "RNAi 2010" which includes the company's plan to significantly expand the cathode-ray oscilloscope of delivery solutions for RNAi therapeutics, have quaternary or more programs in clinical development, and to form four or more than new major business collaborations, all by the oddment of 2010. Alnylam is a joint owner of Regulus Therapeutics LLC, a joint speculation focused on the uncovering, development, and commercialization of microRNA therapeutics. Founded in 2002, Alnylam maintains military headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more and intellectual property related to microRNA therapeutics beingness discovered and developed by Regulus. Any statement describing Isis', Alnylam's or Regulus' goals, expectations, financial or other projections, intentions or beliefs is a modern statement and should be considered an at-risk statement, including those statements that are described as such parties' goals. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, especially those inherent in the process of discovering, development and commercializing drugs that are safe and in effect for employment as human therapeutics, and in the endeavor of building a business around such products. Such parties' forward-looking statements also involve assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove correct, could cause their results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such modern statements. Although these innovative statements reflect the salutary faith judgement of the management of each such party, these statements are based solely on facts and factors currently known by Isis, Alnylam or Regulus, as the case may be. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These and other risks concerning Isis', Alnylam's and Regulus' programs are described in additional item in Isis' annual paper on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2008 and in Alnylam's yearly report on Form 10-K for the year over December 31, 2007, and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2008, which are on file with the SEC. Copies of these and other documents are available from Isis or Alnylam.
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