RXi Pharmaceuticals granted US notice of allowance covering sd-rxRNA technology platform

The patent, titled ‘Reduced Size Self-Delivering RNAi Compounds’, broadly covers both the composition and methods of use of RXi’s self-delivering platform technology. The patent, once issued, will be scheduled to expire in 2029.

This core patent, within RXi’s intellectual property portfolio, is the foundation for RXI’s self-delivering platform. The patent broadly protects RXi’s sd-rxRNA technology, which facilitates the delivery of RNAi compounds to tissues and cells of interest in the absence of a delivery vehicle.

sd-rxRNA oligonucleotides are designed for therapeutic use and have drug-like properties, such as high potency, target specificity, serum stability, reduced immune response activation, and efficient cellular uptake. This allows sd-rxRNAs to achieve efficient cellular uptake and potent, long-lasting intracellular activity.

RXi Pharmaceuticals president and CEO Dr Geert Cauwenbergh said that the company is pleased to have its novel technology recognized by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

"This key patent is what differentiates RXi’s technology platform from the competition. It provides us with a powerful advantage to deliver our RNAi compounds without delivery vehicles, which are commonly used with the other siRNA compounds in clinical development. The use of our proprietary sd-rxRNA technology platform may lead to improved tolerability and thereby potentially broadening of the therapeutic window for these compounds," Dr Cauwenbergh added.