Novosom Announces Collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim

Novosom has announced collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG to validate liver and pulmonary therapeutic targets in vivo using siRNA. The collaboration will use Novosom’s proprietary Smarticles^® for in vivo siRNA delivery.

Target validation is an essential stage in the development of new drugs. In this regard, siRNA based approaches are now widely accepted within the industry.

However, until now this could only be accomplished using cell based in vitro assays. Novosom and Boehringer Ingelheim will be collaborating to achieve in vivo target validation using siRNA in animals.

It is anticipated that there will be significant advantages to validating targets in such an in vivo approach. Target validation in vivo is considered to be an essential step forward in the development of therapeutics.

Steffen Panzner, CEO of Novosom, AG commented, "We are delighted at the potential for this collaboration and anticipate it will provide significant further validation of our technology and a potent endorsement of our approach."

"This collaboration is the next step in our key objective to generate therapeutic delivery systems for siRNA, decoys, plasmids and antisense."

Elias Papatheodorou, COO of Novosom AG added, "This is the first of a number of collaborations that Novosom will be announcing in 2006."

"We are excited about the prospects of our Smarticles^® molecules in oncology, immunology and liver therapeutics. We estimate that we will enter the clinic with therapeutic candidates within 2006."