Exiqon Announces Achievement of Primary Milestones in RNAi Project for
Tacere Therapeutics
Exiqon A/S (NASDAQ OMX Copenhagen: "EXQ") today announced the successful completion of
several key milestones in a custom-designed RNAi project for Tacere Therapeutics.
San Jose and Copenhagen (PRWEB) September 18, 2009 -- Exiqon A/S (NASDAQ OMX Copenhagen: "EXQ")
today announced the successful completion of several key milestones in a custom-designed RNAi project for
Tacere Therapeutics. This project resulted from a collaboration between Tacere and Pfizer Inc. to develop and
commercialize the TT-033 family of compounds to provide a potential single-administration treatment for the
Hepatitis C virus (HCV).
Exiqon was selected to complete a series of customized assays, aimed at the detection of therapeutic shRNA
molecules currently under development by Pfizer and Tacere, using Exiqon's proprietary LNA™ technology
platform. The assays will be used to assess critical performance points for the RNAi therapeutic in a pre-clinical
setting.
"The ability to quantify the levels and assess the biodistribution of therapeutic RNAi are critical issues for those
in the field who are developing the technology as a new therapeutic modality," says David Suhy, PhD, Director of
Research & Development for Tacere. "Unfortunately, the use of traditional quantitative assays to obtain these
data has been hampered by the exceptionally small size of the RNA. The combination of the unique properties of
LNA-enhanced oligonucleotides and the demonstrated scientific expertise of the Exiqon team made them an
attractive partner for this project."
The nature of the specimens posed a significant challenge for this kind of assay, according to members of the
Exiqon development team. "Unlike many detection assays of this kind, which are designed for use within a single
cell type per experiment (e.g. cell-pellet assays), this project required the use of animal tissue specimens, which
adds a layer of complexity, due to the presence of heterog