Press release
Alnylam Announces Collaboration with Novartis to Explore Targeted Therapy to Restore Liver Function
– Agreement will Bring Alnylam’s Proprietary siRNA Technology to Bear on Liver Target Identified by Novartis Researchers – – Alnylam and Novartis have Agreed
About this update from Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"\n– Agreement will Bring Alnylam’s Proprietary siRNA Technology to Bear on Liver Target Identified by Novartis Researchers –\n\n– Alnylam and Novartis have Agreed to Collaborate on Discovery and Development of siRNA-based Targeted Therapy to Restore Functional Liver Cells in Patients with End-Stage Liver Diseases --\n\n– Collaboration Aims to Develop Liver-Targeted Therapy as a Potential Alternative to Transplantation for Patients Experiencing Liver Failure –\n\n CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nAlnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY), the leading RNAi therapeutics company, today announced a collaboration with Novartis to leverage Alnylam’s proven, proprietary siRNA technology to inhibit a target discovered at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, potentially leading to development of a treatment designed to promote the regrowth of functional liver cells and to provide an alternative to transplantation for patients with liver failure.\n\n“We are so pleased to collaborate with Novartis,” said Kevin Fitzgerald, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Alnylam. “We believe collaborations like this serve as an excellent example of how Alnylam's leadership in RNAi can fuel new frontiers of medicine with highly innovative targets coming from some of the most admired pharmaceutical companies.”\n\nEnd-stage liver disease (ESLD) is a progressive illness, most often resulting from cirrhosis, that is characterized by the destruction of healthy liver tissue and the loss of critical liver function.1 The disease has a profound impact on patients’ quality of life, and accounts for over one million deaths globally each year. Currently, liver transplantation is the only treatment for ESLD, but transplants are invasive procedures and there is a limited supply of organs available for patients in need. A significant need exists for medicinal alternatives to transplantation that regenerate liver tissue and restore the essential metabolic and synthetic processes that are managed by the liver.\n\n“There remains an enormous unmet need for new types of medicines to address end-stage liver disease,” said Jay Bradner, President of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research. “Building on a legacy of leadership in regenerative medicine, we have devised a restorative strategy that could potentially deliver a transformative benefit to patie...