miRagen and Archemix to Collaborate on Conjugated Aptamer-microRNA Therapeutics

miRagen Therapeutics , Inc. and Archemix Corp. have announced that the two companies will collaborate on conjugated aptamer-microRNA therapies capable of intracellular delivery and subsequent microRNA targeting.

miRagen and Archemix will jointly pursue research and development efforts and both companies will contribute resources under the agreement, which includes an exclusive option for miRagen to negotiate for exclusive rights to further develop and commercialize certain aptamer-microRNA therapeutics generated during the collaboration. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“Targeting and delivery of nucleic acid drugs are challenges in the field, and aptamers are an exciting class of agents that can potentially address these issues,” said William S. Marshall, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of miRagen Therapeutics, Inc. “We are committed to building strategic relationships with innovative companies like Archemix in our efforts to translate microRNA discoveries into breakthrough therapies.”

“Combining aptamers and microRNA therapeutics has the potential to solve the intracellular delivery challenge for certain RNA-based therapeutic approaches,” said Kenneth M. Bate, President and Chief Executive Officer of Archemix. “This deal is another example of leveraging our proprietary aptamer technology to create value outside of our core expertise. Intracellular delivery has been a key challenge for RNA modalities and we are excited about the potential of bringing together our expertise in aptamers with miRagen’s expertise in microRNA therapeutics to overcome this limitation and open further potential for RNA-based therapeutics.”