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May 14th, 2008
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Press Release
Novosom granted US and European patents for RNAi-delivering Smarticles®
Company will be presenting at Bio€quity in Amsterdam and BIO2008 in San Diego
Halle, Germany – May 14, 2008 – Novosom AG today announced that it has been granted patents for both the USA and Europe for its Drug Delivery technology Smarticles®. Smarticles® are fully charge reversible liposomes for the in vivo drug delivery of nucleotides like siRNA or antisense to targeted cells. At the same time Novosom announced that it has been selected to present at both Bio€quity (May 28-29, 2008, Hotel Okura, Amsterdam, the Netherlands) and the 2008 BIO Business Forum which takes place during BIO2008 (June 17-20, 2008, San Diego Convention Center, California, USA).
The US patent is entitled "Amphoteric liposomes and their use" and the US patent number is US 7371404. At the same time, the European Patent Office granted patent number EP 1363601 with the same title.
Elias Papatheodorou, CEO of Novosom, said, “We are delighted to be granted these US and European patents for our world-class RNAi and siRNA drug delivery system Smarticles®. In addition to the patents already granted Novosom, this forms a part of the strong intellectual property position Novosom is building in the growing field of nucleic-acid drugs based on RNA interference.”
Dr. Steffen Panzner, Founder and CSO of Novosom also commented: "Novosom’s technology has been at the forefront of providing a safer, more efficient delivery method available for in vivo delivery of nucleotides to targeted cells. The broad grant of this family of patents in key jurisdictions reflects the originality of our approach in the field of oligonucleotide delivery. Both offices have accepted wide claim language which secures comprehensive protection of the amphoteric liposome concept irrespective of any chemical representation for novosom AG and its licensees.”
In March ProNAi, a collaboration partner of Novosom announced the successful completion of the IND for the drug candidate PNT2258 which uses the Smarticle® delivery technology for a novel class of oligonucleotide therapeutics against multiple cancer types.
About Novosom AG
Novosom is working with its partners to develop unique antisense, DNAi and siRNA based therapeutics with a current focus in inflammation, oncology and liver diseases. Novosom's Smarticles® liposomal vectors allow partners to deliver their active substance (siRNA, antisense, decoy etc) inside the cell either for topical or systemic applications. Smarticles® are an enabler of systemic treatments and an enhancer of topical treatments. The Company has several active therapeutically-relevant collaborations in oncology and inflammation. Novosom AG main investors include IBG Beteiligungsgesellschaft Sachsen-Anhalt mbH and MBG Mittelständische Beteiligungs-gesellschaft Sachsen Anhalt.
Novosom AG is based in Halle, Germany. For more information, please visit: www.novosom.com.
Contacts
At Novosom AG:
Elias Papatheodorou, CEO
Novosom AG
t: +49 (0)345 55 59 836
e: elias.papatheodorou[at]novosom.com
At College Hill Life Sciences:
Douglas Pretsell, Account Director
College Hill Life Sciences
t: +49 (0)89 57 00 18 06
e: douglas.pretsell[at]collegehill.com
Notes to editors:
siRNA (RNAi)
Post-transcriptional gene silencing also known as RNA interference or RNAi, is a phenomenon in which genes are silenced in a sequence-specific manner through targeted mRNA (messenger RNA) degradation. Researchers believe small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) may offer potential as a novel way to silence genes involved in disease, including genes encoded by viruses such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV, as well as genes involved in the establishment of inflammatory diseases and cancer.
SMARTICLES®
Novosom’s liposomal formulations, termed SMARTICLES®, are charge-reversible particles that enable the targeted delivery of oligonucleotides, plasmids and other materials directly into living cells. SMARTICLES® are stable in blood and distribute in the same manner as conventional liposomes. In contrast to conventional liposomes, however, SMARTICLES® become positively charged when they cross cell membranes, leading to effective delivery of their cargo within cells. Sites of inflammation and tumors, along with liver and spleen are primary targets for the Smarticles®.