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Marina Biotech Receives Key Patent Issuance from the USPTO for its Unlocked Nucleobase Analog (UNA) Chemistry - Patent broadly covers RNA-based oligonucleotide therapeutics containing a UNA
Marina Biotech Receives Key Patent Issuance from the USPTO for its Unlocked Nucleobase Analog (UNA) Chemistry - Patent broadly covers RNA-based oligonucleotide therapeutics containing a UNA.
About this update from Adhera Therapeutics Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"\nBOTHELL, Wash., December 4, 2012 – Marina Biotech, Inc. (OTC Pink: MRNA), a leading nucleic acid-based drug discovery and development company, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued United States Patent 8,314,227. The patent expands protection to the Company’s Unlocked Nucleobase Analog (UNA) modification and substitution chemistry. The claims of this patent broadly cover the use of a UNA in a number of RNA-based oligonucleotides including an RNA duplex, a microRNA mimic, a microRNA antagonist, and an RNA-binding RNA steric blocker. In addition, the RNA duplex may be either a RISC- or Dicer-length small interfering RNA (siRNA) and have a discontinuous passenger strand.\n “We are pleased to see that the USPTO recognizes the significance of our UNA chemistry for the development of oligonucleotide therapeutics,” stated J. Michael French, President and Chief Executive Officer at Marina Biotech. “This is a key and important patent issuance for the Company as it provides us and our licensees the freedom to pursue the broad use of UNA-containing oligonucleotides for therapeutic uses. Specifically, we can pursue a multitude of single and double-stranded RNA-based oligonucleotide compounds with a wide variation in length. We believe these claims put to rest issues of so called ‘blocking IP’ in the RNA interference (RNAi) and microRNA sectors. More importantly, we have demonstrated that UNA has the potential to improve RNAi therapeutics by increasing stability and reducing sense and antisense mediated off-target effects while retaining potency. Our recent license agreement with Tekmira Pharmaceuticals attests to the value of this technology and we look forward to continuing to exploit this key asset.”\n Unlocked Nucleobase Analogs (UNA) are acyclic ribonucleoside analogs in which the bond between C2’ and C3’ atoms is broken. This change in sugar structure renders this nucleoside analog very flexible. This characteristic is in sharp contrast to the widely used locked nucleosides that lock the sugar conformation by a bridged bond between C2’ and C4’ atoms. The flexible nature of UNA reduces the binding affinity between two strands of an RNAi drug and gives unique characteristics to its gene silenc...