RXi Pharmaceuticals has exercised its option to an exclusive worldwide license to novel technologies from Advirna, to enable in-vivo delivery of RNAi therapeutics. Terms of the agreement were not yet disclosed.
The RNAi delivery technologies licensed from Advirna encompass four distinct approaches, with the primary focus on self-delivery of RNAi therapeutics (RNAi delivery without the use of a separate delivery vehicle).
In evaluating the Advirna technology, RXi observed that this technology delivers RNAi molecules to cells spontaneously upon direct administration, both in-vitro and in-vivo, without requiring a delivery vehicle or transfection formulation. RXi has reproduced this result in many cells, and has seen activity even with cells that are difficult to transfect, said the company.
Tod Woolf, president and CEO of RXi, said: “The ability to create self-delivering RNAi therapeutics promises to provide significant competitive advantages in efficacy, toxicity, ease of administration and manufacturing costs. This unique capability is creating a great deal of interest in the scientific and business community and we believe this exciting technology could simplify clinical development of RNAi therapeutics and could position RXi to take the lead in the area of RNAi therapeutics.“
RXi Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company pursuing the development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi).