Alnylam Initiates RNAi Therapeutic Program for Pandemic Influenza

30-May-2005

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced a collaboration with researchers from the University of Georgia to discover and develop a Direct RNAi(TM) therapeutic for the treatment and prevention of respiratory infection from newly emerging, highly pathogenic strains of influenza (flu) virus. Alnylam will apply RNAi technology to the discovery of short interfering RNAs (siRNAs), the active molecules of RNA interference (RNAi), that target key flu genes required for virus replication and demonstrate potent anti-viral activity across human and avian flu strains.

Health experts generally agree that an influenza pandemic could occur in the near future, and that such a pandemic could result in a widespread loss of human lives. The goal of Alnylam's RNAi therapeutic program for influenza infection will be to employ optimized siRNAs that silence highly conserved sequences required for viral replication across human and avian flu strains, thereby yielding a novel prevention and treatment option for world-threatening outbreaks of highly virulent strains of flu. Alnylam is currently in discussions with U.S. and world-wide health organizations to further advance its efforts to develop an RNAi therapeutic for the treatment of pandemic flu.

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/46321/alnylam-initiates-rnai-therapeutic-program-for-pandemic-influenza.html