SKOKIE, Ill., April 22, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AuraSense Therapeutics, the pioneer in developing Spherical Nucleic Acid (SNA™) constructs as gene regulatory and immunotherapeutic agents, today announced a new publication in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America [Radovic-Moreno et al, 2015. 112 (13) 3892–3897] demonstrating the immunomodulatory effects of SNA constructs in preclinical models of lymphoma and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In lymphoma, SNA constructs, in combination with a cancer specific marker, activated the immune system to specifically target the cells that express the marker. In a separate study, also reported in the publication, SNA constructs designed to repress the immune system in mouse models of NASH were able to exhibit immuno-regulation and improve NASH-related scores and liver fibrosis in diabetic mouse models. Importantly, SNA constructs were significantly more potent than their linear counterparts, underscoring the importance of spatial orientation in the use of nucleic acid therapeutics.
“This publication is a further validation of the incredible potential our SNA platform holds as immuno-therapeutics in a variety of disease states,” said David Giljohann, Ph.D., CEO of AuraSense Therapeutics. “Further, we believe this approach could provide tremendous synergy with both marketed and therapies currently in development for various cancers.”
About Spherical Nucleic Acids
SNAs are nanoscale, spherical arrangements of densely packed and radially oriented nucleic acids. This architecture overcomes one of the most difficult obstacles to nucleic acid based therapeutics: safe and effective delivery into cells and tissues of therapeutic importance without the need for additional physical or chemical methods or components. The SNAs can be designed to be extremely potent and highly targeted gene regulation and immune-modulatory agents.
About AuraSense Therapeutics, LLC
AuraSense Therapeutics is developing a new class of immunomodulatory and gene-silencing drugs against validated targets. Our 3-D, spherical nucleic acid (SNA™) architecture unlocks the potential of nucleic acid therapeutics in multiple organs. Our lead programs address diseases from inflammatory disorders to oncology.
CONTACT: AuraSense Therapeutics, LLC. info@aurasensetherapeutics.com www.aurasensetherapeutics.com Media Relations: MacDougall Biomedical Communications 781.235.3060 Michelle Avery, mavery@macbiocom.com, or Karen Sharma, ksharma@macbiocom.com
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