Apr 3 2014
Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a leading developer of RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics, announced that recent advances in its anti-viral product platform were presented at the 6th International Symposium of Filoviruses, which is taking place in Galveston, Texas from March 30 to April 2, 2014.
"We are pleased to report more positive preclinical results validating the use of Tekmira's LNP technology in our anti-viral product platform. These new data from our TKM-Marburg program demonstrate survival in non-human primates despite treatment being delayed until 72 hours after infection with otherwise lethal doses of Marburg virus," said Dr. Mark J. Murray, Tekmira's President and CEO.
Tekmira's Chief Technical Officer, Dr. Ian MacLachlan, presented new preclinical data showing 100% survival was achieved when dosing with TKM-Marburg at 0.5 mg/kg began 72 hours after infection with otherwise lethal quantities of the Marburg virus. Dosing then continued once daily for seven days. Earlier data from this collaborative research between Tekmira and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) showed 100% survival was achieved when dosing at 0.5 mg/kg TKM-Marburg began either one hour, 24 hours, or 48 hours after infection with otherwise lethal quantities of the virus. These studies represent the first known demonstration of protection of non-human primates from Marburg-Angola, the most lethal strain of Marburg virus. In February 2014, UTMB and Tekmira, along with other collaborators, were awarded additional funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in support of this research.
Tekmira's anti-viral product platform includes RNAi therapeutics addressing chronic Hepatitis B infection and lethal hemorrhagic fever viruses, including Ebola and Marburg.
A copy of Tekmira's slides from the 6th International Symposium of Filoviruses will be available on the Tekmira website on the "Events" section at: http://investor.tekmirapharm.com/events.cfm
About RNAi and Tekmira's LNP
RNAi therapeutics have the potential to treat a broad number of human diseases by "silencing" disease causing genes. The discoverers of RNAi, a gene silencing mechanism used by all cells, were awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. RNAi therapeutics, such as "siRNAs," require delivery technology to be effective systemically. Tekmira believes its LNP technology represents the most widely adopted delivery technology for the systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics. Tekmira's LNP platform is being utilized in multiple clinical trials by both Tekmira and its partners. Tekmira's LNP technology (formerly referred to as stable nucleic acid-lipid particles or SNALP) encapsulates siRNAs with high efficiency in uniform lipid nanoparticles that are effective in delivering RNAi therapeutics to disease sites in numerous preclinical models. Tekmira's LNP formulations are manufactured by a proprietary method which is robust, scalable and highly reproducible, and LNP-based products have been reviewed by multiple FDA divisions for use in clinical trials. LNP formulations comprise several lipid components that can be adjusted to suit the specific application.
About Tekmira
Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing novel RNAi therapeutics and providing its leading lipid nanoparticle delivery technology to pharmaceutical partners. Tekmira has been working in the field of nucleic acid delivery for over a decade and has broad intellectual property covering LNPs. Further information about Tekmira can be found at www.tekmira.com. Tekmira is based in Vancouver, B.C.
Source: http://www.tekmira.com/