Benitec obtains exclusive licence from Stanford University
Australian company Benitec has entered into an exclusive licensing deal with Stanford University that gives it exclusive rights to use the Minicircle DNA technology pioneered at Stanford University for all RNAi therapeutic uses. Benitec retains exclusive, sub-licensable rights to all RNAi therapeutic uses of Minicircles.
Australian company Benitec has entered into an exclusive licensing deal with Stanford University that gives it exclusive rights to use the Minicircle DNA technology pioneered at Stanford University for all RNAi therapeutic uses. Benitec retains exclusive, sub-licensable rights to all RNAi therapeutic uses of Minicircles.
In the field of RNAi therapeutics, effective delivery continues to be the primary hurdle to overcome. Minicircles, developed by Dr Mark A. Kay, professor of pediatrics and genetics at Stanford University and strategic consultant to Benitec, provide a significant advance over current RNAi non-viral systems and expand the repertoire of non-viral delivery methods available to researchers undertaking therapeutic programmes.
Minicircles result in gene expression up to 500 times greater than that seen with traditional plasmid DNA1 and were created from the discovery in the Kay laboratory that bacterial sequences present in normal plasmid DNA result in significant down-regulation of gene expression in animal models.
'With this new technology, we have demonstrated therapeutic levels of transgene product in animal models for up to 10 months, with no toxicity from this non-integrating vector,' said Dr Kay. 'We designed a unique plasmid to allow for easy purification and large-scale production of Minicircles, making this a feasible vector for clinical use.'