SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sirna Therapeutics, Inc. , a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that multiple published abstracts regarding the Company’s efforts in optimizing the delivery and efficacy of siRNA therapeutics will be presented at the Keystone Symposium on RNAi and Related Pathways, being held from January 26 - 31, 2006 at the Fairmont Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
The following will be presented during the Symposium: Title: “Small interfering RNA (siRNA) as Potential Therapy for Ocular Neovascularization” Title: “Chemical modification and formulation of short interfering RNA (siRNA) for local delivery to the lungs” Title: “Effect of stabilized, formulated IL-4Ralpha siRNA on ovalbumin-induced lung inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in sensitized mice” Title: “Potent and Persistent in vivo Anti-HBV Activity of Encapsulated Chemically Modified siRNAs” Title: “Chemically modified self-complementary RNAs induce a potent RNAi response without inducing the interferon pathway” About the Keystone Symposium
First organized in 1972 as the UCLA Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology, the Keystone Symposia serves as a catalyst for the advancement of biomedical and life sciences by connecting scientists within and across disciplines at conferences and workshops held at venues that create an environment conducive to information exchange, generation of new ideas, and acceleration of applications that benefit society.
About Sirna Therapeutics
Sirna Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing RNAi-based therapies for serious diseases and conditions, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), hepatitis B and C, dermatology, asthma, Huntington’s disease, diabetes and oncology. Sirna Therapeutics has presented interim Phase 1 clinical trial data for its most advanced compound, Sirna-027, a chemically optimized siRNA targeting the clinically validated vascular endothelial growth factor pathway to treat AMD. Sirna-027, which has been partnered with Allergan, Inc., continues to demonstrate that it is safe and well tolerated with 100% of patients showing visual acuity stabilization after eight weeks from a single injection. In addition, Sirna recently announced that it has selected Sirna-AV34, a systemically delivered, optimized siRNA compound, as its candidate for advancement to human clinical testing against Hepatitis C virus. Sirna has a leading intellectual property portfolio in RNAi with 49 issued patents and over 240 pending applications worldwide. More information on Sirna Therapeutics is available on the Company’s web site at http://www.sirna.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Statements in this press release which are not strictly historical are “forward-looking” statements which should be considered as subject to many risks and uncertainties. For example, most drug candidates do not become approved drugs. Moreover, Sirna’s ability to develop products and operate as a going concern requires significant cash to fund its operating programs. Additional risks and uncertainties include Sirna’s early stage of development and short operating history, Sirna’s history and expectation of losses and need to raise capital, Sirna’s need to obtain clinical validation and regulatory approval for products, Sirna’s need to obtain and protect intellectual property, risk of third-party patent infringement claims, Sirna’s need to attract and retain qualified personnel, Sirna’s need to engage collaborators, availability of materials for product manufacturing, the highly competitive nature of the pharmaceutical market, the limited trading volume and history of volatility of Sirna’s common stock, Sirna’s concentration of stock ownership, and risks from relocating Sirna headquarters. These and additional risk factors are identified in Sirna’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including the Forms 10-K and 10-Q and in other SEC filings. Sirna undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.
Contacts: J. Michael French Senior Vice President, Corporate Development Sirna Therapeutics, Inc., (303) 449-6500 Investors Francesca DeMartino The Ruth Group (646) 536-7024 fdemartino@theruthgroup.com Media Jason Rando The Ruth Group (646) 536-7025 jrando@theruthgroup.com
Sirna Therapeutics, Inc.
CONTACT: J. Michael French, Senior Vice President, Corporate Developmentof Sirna Therapeutics, Inc., +1-303-449-6500; or Investors, FrancescaDeMartino, +1-646-536-7024, fdemartino@theruthgroup.com, or Media, JasonRando, +1-646-536-7025, jrando@theruthgroup.com, both of The Ruth Group,for Sirna Therapeutics, Inc.
Web site: http://www.sirna.com//
