RxGen, Inc. and Santaris Pharma A/S Use LNA-antimiR Technology to Antagonize the Liver-expressed microRNA-122 in Non-Human Primates and to Safely Lower Serum Cholesterol

HAMDEN, Conn. & H0RSHOLM, Denmark--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a study published in the journal Nature today, Santaris Pharma and RxGen Inc., a specialty pharma services company demonstrated that a systemically delivered Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) compound could safely and effectively silence a microRNA target in African green monkeys. The study shows that a specific LNA-antimiR that binds to the liver-specific microRNA-122 can readily enter the liver and antagonize the miRNA target molecule. Remarkably, administration of just three doses over the course of one week markedly altered serum lipid profiles for 7 weeks, resulting in a significant decrease in total cholesterol, with no evidence of adverse toxicity.