CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ISIS), Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY), and the companies’ joint venture Regulus Therapeutics LLC, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted notices of allowance for two U.S. patent applications that further enhance the scope of Isis’ “Crooke” patent estate, which broadly covers RNA-containing therapeutics. The Crooke patent estate is a family of patents stemming from the pioneering research of Dr. Stanley Crooke and others at Isis to identify and design RNA molecules that harness cellular RNase enzymes as antisense drugs, including RNAi and microRNA therapeutics. The newly allowed claims cover pharmaceutical compositions and methods of treating patients, expanding coverage of the Crooke patents to include RNA-based drugs and treatment methods.
