Alnylam Pharmaceuticals said this week that it has launched the InterfeRx licensing program for its RNAi intellectual property.
The program, said the com- pany, will grant licenses for the development of RNAi therapeutics under Alnylam’s portfolio of issued and pending patents. One of those, which Alnylam holds exclusively, is the so-called Tuschl-2 patent application. This IP describes the two-to-three nucleotide 3’ overhanging ends on the end of certain siRNAs used for RNAi.
Licenses to discover, develop, and commercialize RNAi therapeutics under these patents will be available through the InterfeRx Program on a target-by-target basis, Alnylam added.
“As we move forward to discover and develop our own pipeline of proprietary RNAi therapeutics, we recognize that no single company has the ability to address all of the potential opportunities created through our comprehensive patent estate in this area,” John Maraganore, president and CEO of Alnylam, said in a statement. “We have, therefore, initiated the InterfeRx Program, a licensing program for RNAi therapeutics, so that others can participate in bringing these potential breakthrough therapies to patients.”