Alnylam and Isis License Intellectual Property for MicroRNA Gene Involved in Hepatitis C Virus Infection
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced a co-exclusive license agreement with Stanford University related to the discovery and development of therapeutic products for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection by inhibiting a liver-specific microRNA. Data published in Science demonstrate that the microRNA known as miR-122 is required for HCV replication in mammalian cells. This study is the first to link endogenous Expression of a specific microRNA with a major infectious disease, and suggests that antagonism of miR-122 may comprise a novel therapeutic strategy against HCV.
MiR-122 is specifically expressed and is highly abundant in the human liver. The study by Jopling et al. from the laboratory of Peter Sarnow, Ph.D. at Stanford University demonstrates that miR-122 interacts directly with a specific 5' noncoding sequence of the HCV genome leading to increased abundance of the viral mRNA. Antagonism of miR-122 function using an antisense oligonucleotide resulted in a dramatic decrease of viral RNA.
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