Sirna Therapeutics signs license for microRNA technology from UMass Medical School

By Elaine Rigoli

Tampa, Fla., May 10 - Sirna Therapeutics, Inc. has signed an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with the University of Massachusetts Medical School for the rights to patents covering microRNA, or miRNA, technology for the modulation of gene expression.

The Zamore miRNA patents are solely owned by the University of Massachusetts, according to a news release.

Under the terms of the agreement, Sirna has an exclusive worldwide license to these patents for all uses, including therapeutics, diagnostics and research reagents. The financial terms of the license were not disclosed.

MicroRNA is involved in the RNA interference, or RNAi, mechanism and can play a critical role in gene silencing. Blocking the function of miRNAs holds significant potential for the treatment of human disease, the release said.

In addition to the modulation of gene expression by blocking miRNA function, miRNAs on their own can be used as therapeutic agents.

"Exclusive license to these Zamore miRNA patents, combined with Sirna's existing intellectual property on miRNA, gives our company a leading patent position in the emerging area of miRNA technology and use of miRNA as therapeutic agents or targets," said Bharat Chowrira, vice president, legal affairs and chief patent counsel.

"With these new patents, we have positioned ourselves to capitalize on a broad intellectual property estate, which now enables Sirna to pursue multiple RNAi-based therapeutic approaches."

Sirna Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in San Francisco.

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