The USPTO has granted claims covering certain ratios of lipids used in Tekmira’s LNP formulations, which have shown to impart increased drug activity and improved tolerability of the formulations in vivo.
The USPTO has also granted claims covering the chemical modification of siRNA sequences to prevent immune stimulation.
The intellectual property is based on research by Tekmira scientists regarding the stimulation of the innate immune system by nucleic acids, including siRNA.
Tekmira President and CEO Mark Murray said they believe all LNP-based RNAi therapeutic products currently in clinical development fall under the patent.