Dicerna Pharmaceuticals Awarded Notice of Allowance by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for Patent Claims Broadly Covering Dicer Substrate siRNA Molecules

WATERTOWN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Dicerna), a second generation RNA interference (RNAi) company developing novel therapeutics utilizing its proprietary Dicer Substrate Technology™ and Dicer Substrate siRNA (DsiRNA) molecules, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a Notice of Allowance in the “Rossi” patent family, which broadly covers Dicer Substrate RNA-containing therapeutics. This new allowance applies to 148 claims and provides exclusivity around both in vivo therapeutic and in vitro uses of Dicer Substrates for reducing mammalian target gene expression, regardless of their specific sequence. These claims include the broadest therapeutic use claims allowed to date in the RNAi field, and solidify Dicerna’s unparalleled intellectual property position in the area of Dicer Substrate therapeutics.