Mirus Bio entered into a two-year, multimillion dollar agreement with Pfizer to investigate and optimize gene-silencing methods in animal models. The studies will utilize Mirus Bio's nucleic acid delivery platforms to target and suppress the expression of genes of interest to Pfizer.
"The lack of effective delivery methods has been the Achilles' heel impeding progress in the emerging field of RNA interference," states Russell Smestad, Mirus Bio's president. "We are excited that this agreement will enable us to accelerate the development of our platform technologies."
Mirus Bio has two delivery platforms. The first is hydrodynamic intravascular injection, a method to deliver nucleic acids through the bloodstream to surrounding cells and tissues. The second delivery platform involves formulating siRNA into nanoparticles, which are delivered systemically via standard intravenous injection.