RXi Pharmaceuticals said this week that, in collaboration with Miragen Therapeutics, it has generated positive in vitro data demonstrating the use of its self-delivering RNAi agents to enhance the activity of a particular microRNA.
Specifically, the companies used the self-delivering molecules to create an miRNA mimic capable of down-regulating a reporter gene whose expression is controlled by the microRNA in cell culture model systems developed by Miragen.
According to Miragen President and CEO Bill Marshall, miRNA therapeutics "that mimic native sequences require special approaches for delivery. We are excited that RXi's self-delivering technology demonstrates this compatibility with microRNA sequences from our portfolio."