The licensed technology relates to the discoveries that miR-33a and miR-33b down-regulate target genes involved in cholesterol transport and genes related to metabolic syndrome.
Additionally, Regulus also controls fundamental patent rights related to miR-33a and miR-33b, including compositions of matter for the miR-33a and miR-33b sequence and complement covered in the Tuschl III patent series and various chemically modified anti-miR compounds targeting miR-33a and miR-33b discovered by Regulus.
Regulus president and CEO Kleanthis Xanthopoulos said Regulus scientists and their collaborators at NYU have shown that dysregulation of specific microRNAs, including miR-33a and miR-33b, can drive metabolic disease processes linked to dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis, opening up the possibility of developing a new class of drugs to treat these conditions.