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news.Nitto Denko, a Japan-based diversified materials manufacturer and Quark Pharmaceuticals, a company into the discovery and development of RNAi-based therapeutics, have entered into a collaboration and license agreement for the development of siRNA therapeutics for the treatment of fibrotic diseases.
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Nitto Denko and Quark Pharma are expected to develop siRNA drugs using Quark’s RNAi technologies and new structures providing freedom to operate in the siRNA intellectual property space and Nitto Denko’s drug delivery technologies for new therapeutic concepts, currently owned by Nitto Denko.
Daniel Zurr, CEO of Quark Pharma, said: “We shall be using our technologies, intellectual property and capabilities to quickly bring drug candidates to clinical stage and Nitto is expected to provide its delivery technologies and therapeutic strategy as well as their world class capabilities in oligonucleotide production.”
Kageshi Maruyama, officer of Nitto Denko, said: “We are pleased to work with Quark, we selected Quark based on the characteristics of its siRNA structure and chemical modifications and look forward to utilising this technology to create medicines.”
Yoshiro Niitsu of Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, Sapporo, said: “I am very confident that siRNA drugs directed simultaneously to one or more specific target genes are the appropriate approach for therapies for a number of fibrotic diseases that are currently a totally unmet medical need.
“Our research has demonstrated that the adequate siRNA, appropriately delivered to the liver caused regression of liver fibrosis and prolonged survival time in siRNA treated animals. It is very likely that this approach is suitable to fibrotic diseases in other organs as well.”