U.S. Patent Awarded to Marina Biotech for Amphoteric Liposomes

Marina Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRNA), a leading RNAi-based drug discovery and development company, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued patent U.S. 7,780,983 covering processes for preparing amphoteric liposomes or SMARTICLES®.

Marina Biotech recently acquired the SMARTICLES® intellectual property portfolio of Novosom AG, further expanding its RNA delivery platform intellectual property estate.

Amphoteric liposomes define a novel class of liposomes, which are charge-reversible particles that provide for the delivery of a nucleic acid payload (e.g., siRNA, microRNA, antisense, decoy, etc.) to the cytoplasm, or interior, of a cell either by local or systemic administration. These novel liposomal vectors are designed to release their nucleic acid payload within the target cell where the nucleic acid can then engage a number of biological pathways including the RNA interference pathway and thereby exert a therapeutic effect.

"We are pleased that our recent acquisitions are already generating value for us on the intellectual property front," stated J. Michael French, President and CEO at Marina Biotech. "This patent, covering amphoteric liposomal delivery, is a significant addition to our existing RNA delivery intellectual property estate that also includes the DiLA2 delivery platform, the tkRNAi platform (bacterial delivery platform) and our peptide nanoparticle delivery platform. We will continue to expand our IP position by aggressively seeking issued claims and developing additional novel formulations for safe and effective systemic and local delivery of RNA-based therapeutics."

This patent issuance further secures Marina Biotech's patent position around amphoteric liposomal delivery technology by providing protection to processes by which amphoteric liposomes are prepared. This new U.S. patent adds to the Company's existing world-wide IP portfolio, which provides broad patent protection for amphoteric liposome formulations and novel lipid compounds.

Source: http://www.marinabio.com/