LA JOLLA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulus Therapeutics Inc. announced today that the European Patent Office (EPO) and United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) have recently granted claims for microRNA-122 therapy in hepatitis C viral (HCV) infections. The EPO issued a Notice of Intent to Grant for an application in the ‘Sarnow’ patent series (European Patent Application No. 05749437.9) for claims covering the use of an antisense inhibitor of miR-122 for the treatment of HCV infection and related conditions, either alone or in combination with other HCV therapeutic agents. Additionally, the USPTO has recently allowed claims in a continuation application in the Sarnow patent series (US Serial No. 11/953,705), directed to methods of reducing HCV viral genome amount with an antisense inhibitor of miR-122 in combination with other HCV therapeutic agents. The Sarnow patent series, owned by Stanford University and licensed to Regulus, relates to the discovery and development of therapeutic products for HCV infection by inhibiting the liver-specific microRNA known as miR-122.
