Advertise With UsAdvertise on our extensive network of industry websites and newsletters.
Get the PBR newsletterSign up to our free email to get all the latest PBR
news.AVI BioPharma, a developer of RNA-based drugs, has signed an exclusive worldwide license agreement with the University of Western Australia to a patent application related to the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Subscribe to our email newsletter
The patent application claims compositions and methods for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in humans by skipping exons in the dystrophin gene using antisense oligomers. Among the inventors on the licensed patent application is Stephen Wilton, head of the molecular genetic therapies group at University of Western Australia (UWA).
In addition to the UWA patent application, AVI’s patent position in exon skipping includes exclusive rights to Ryszard Kole’s general RNA splice altering patents gained though AVI’s acquisition of Ercole Biotech earlier in 2008, as well as other AVI-filed patents and in-licensed intellectual property specific to exon skipping of the dystrophin gene as a therapeutic target.
AVI is currently evaluating the exon skipping therapeutic AVI-4658 for the treatment of DMD. Preclinical studies have demonstrated sustained production of functional dystrophin in numerous tissues, including the heart, diaphragm and skeletal muscles.
Leslie Hudson, president and CEO of AVI BioPharma, said: “Dr Wilton is a longtime collaborator of AVI, and our securing of this license to UWA’s patent application further strengthens AVI’s position in the field of exon skipping for DMD.”