Calando Pharmaceuticals Announces Initial RNAi Product, Goals for 2007; Company to Advance Targeted RNAi Therapeutics toward the Clinic in Cancer, Further Develop Its Targeted RNAi Delivery Technology.PASADENA, Calif. -- Calando ca·lan·do adv. & adj. Music With a gradual decrease in volume and often tempo. Used chiefly as a direction. [Italian, present participle of calare, to slacken Pharmaceuticals Inc., a leading RNAi Therapeutics company and majority-owned subsidiary majority-owned subsidiary A firm in which more than 50% of outstanding voting stock is owned by the parent company. of Arrowhead Research Corporation (Nasdaq:ARWR), today provided more detail on its product and business goals for 2007. "We have made considerable progress since we commenced operations in mid-2005 - we set very ambitious goals for Calando in 2005 and 2006 to lay the foundation for our product pipeline and future partnerships," said John Petrovich, President and Chief Executive Officer of Calando. "In 2007, we will build on this foundation by continuing to advance our first experimental RNAi therapeutic toward clinical trials, in hopes of commencing Phase I trials before the end of the year." According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Calando Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Jeremy Heidel, Calando's first RNAi therapeutic would direct the silencing of a gene implicated im·pli·cate tr.v. im·pli·cat·ed, im·pli·cat·ing, im·pli·cates 1. To involve or connect intimately or incriminatingly: evidence that implicates others in the plot. 2. in a wide variety of solid tumors. "Our success in pre-clinical studies involving different types of cancer cells cells once believed to be peculiar to cancers, but now know to be epithelial cells differing in no respect from those found elsewhere in the body, and distinguished only by peculiarity of location and grouping. See also: Cancer provides us with optimism about the prospects of treating numerous types of cancer patients with this therapeutic." Calando's first therapeutic contains a targeting ligand the cell surface receptor for which is over-expressed on a wide variety of different cancers. The combination of a generalized gene target and a generalized cell surface receptor targeting ligand endow Calando's therapeutic with features that make it potentially applicable for the treatment of a broad spectrum of solid cancers. In addition to identifying the initial gene target for its first therapeutic, Calando has: --Filed for patent protection of its siRNA sequences for the gene target, and licensed key siRNA patents from Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NYSE: ALNY), a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and commercialization of therapeutic products based on RNA interference (RNAi) in the United States. . --Established scale-up and manufacturing relationships for both the siRNA component and Calando's proprietary cyclodextrin-polymer delivery system, and ordered materials for IND-enabling toxicity studies and cGMP materials for its Phase I trial. Manufacturers include Agilent Technologies This article needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. , Cambrex and SunBio. --Established safety profile for the complete therapeutic, systemically administered in non-human primates. Calando is currently planning to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the US Food and Drug Administration, and upon clearance of regulatory requirements and institutional review by the clinical trial site, Calando hopes to begin its first clinical trial at a leading Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, cancer center before the end of 2007. The company believes that this clinical trial will be the first targeted siRNA therapeutic against cancer to reach the clinic. "Calando's therapeutic is a targeted RNAi therapeutic designed de novo [Latin, Anew.] A second time; afresh. A trial or a hearing that is ordered by an appellate court that has reviewed the record of a hearing in a lower court and sent the matter back to the original court for a new trial, as if it had not been previously heard nor decided. ," said Dr. Mark Davis, Caltech professor and Calando Founding Scientist. "It combines synthetic delivery components with targeting agents and siRNAs that do not require chemical modification In biochemistry, chemical modification is the technique of chemically reacting a protein or nucleic acid with chemical reagents. Chemical modification can have several goals, such as
Calando also hopes to announce an additional development candidate in the second half of 2007, as it continues to expand its pipeline of RNAi therapeutics programs. About RNA Interference RNA interference n. A process in which the introduction of double-stranded RNA into a cell inhibits the expression of genes. (RNAi) RNA interference, or RNAi, is a naturally occurring mechanism within cells for selectively silencing and regulating specific genes. Since many diseases are caused by the inappropriate activity of specific genes, the ability to silence genes selectively through RNAi could provide a new way to treat a wide range of human diseases. RNAi is induced by small, double-stranded RNA RNA: see nucleic acid. RNA in full ribonucleic acid One of the two main types of nucleic acid (the other being DNA), which functions in cellular protein synthesis in all living cells and replaces DNA as the carrier of genetic molecules. One method to activate RNAi is with chemically synthesized small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, which are double-stranded RNAs that are targeted to a specific disease-associated gene. The siRNA molecules are used by the natural RNAi machinery in cells to cause highly targeted gene silencing. About Calando Pharmaceuticals Inc. Calando Pharmaceuticals Inc., a majority owned subsidiary of Arrowhead Research Corporation (Nasdaq:ARWR) is using its proprietary technologies in targeted polymeric delivery systems and siRNA design to design and create new, targeted siRNA therapeutics. The company is pursuing this goal through its internal research and development and also through collaborations and partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. For more information, visit www.calandopharma.com. Calando Technology Calando's cyclodextrin-containing polymers form the foundation for its two-part siRNA delivery system. The first component is a linear, cyclodextrin-containing polycation that, when mixed with small interfering RNA (siRNA), binds to the anionic an·i·on n. A negatively charged ion, especially the ion that migrates to an anode in electrolysis. [From Greek, neuter present participle of anienai, to go up : ana-, ana- "backbone" of the siRNA. The polymer and siRNA self-assemble into nanoparticles of approximately 50 nm diameter that fully protect the siRNA from nuclease nuclease /nu·cle·ase/ (noo´kle-as) any of a group of enzymes that split nucleic acids into nucleotides and other products. nu·cle·ase n. degradation in serum. The siRNA delivery system has been designed to allow for intravenous injection. Upon delivery to the target cell, the targeting ligand binds to membrane receptors on the cell surface and the RNA-containing nanoparticle is taken into the cell by endocytosis endocytosis (ĕn'dōsītō`səs), in biology, process by which substances are taken into the cell. When the cell membrane comes into contact with a suitable food, a portion of the cell cytoplasm surges forward to meet and surround . There, chemistry built into the polymer functions to unpackage the siRNA from the delivery vehicle. In addition to targeting tumors, the targeting of liver cells has also been accomplished in vivo in vivo /in vi·vo/ (ve´vo) [L.] within the living body. in vi·vo adj. Within a living organism. in vivo adv. . Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and is subject to the safe harbors created therein. The forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, information regarding the anticipated applications of Calando's proprietary technologies and its use in delivery of siRNA design, as well as the ability of Calando to meet certain strategic objectives. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that will influence Calando's success. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to risks associated with changes in the RNA synthesis market and risks associated with the development generally of Calando's research and development efforts and the company's overall strategic objectives. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of Calando's management and on currently available information. Calando undertakes no responsibility to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement. |
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