RXi Pharma selects RNAi therapeutic product to advance into development

The development candidate, RXI-109, is a self-delivering RNAi compound (sd-rxRNA) that will initially be evaluated for the reduction of dermal scarring in planned surgeries.

RXi Pharma said that sd-rxRNA compounds are RNAi-based therapeutics that have demonstrated efficient cellular uptake without a delivery vehicle in preclinical studies.

RXi Pharma chief scientific officer Anastasia Khvorova said preclinical results using intradermal injection of sd-rxRNAs demonstrate robust, dose dependent, long lasting target specific silencing.

"We look forward to advancing this program and filing an IND in the second half of 2011," Khvorova said.

RXi Pharma president and CEO Noah Beerman said that selecting this first development candidate is a significant milestone for RXi and demonstrates the company’s commitment to achieving their corporate goals and executing on their strategy.