Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced that it has granted Calando Pharmaceuticals Inc., a majority-owned subsidiary of Arrowhead Research Corporation, a new target-specific InterfeRx license to discover, develop, and commercialize a synthetic siRNA directed toward an undisclosed cancer gene target.

The new non-exclusive, gene-specific license agreement includes an Alnylam right of first negotiation to opt-in for co-development and co-commercialization of the RNAi therapeutic product in the US market. Detailed financial terms were not disclosed, but include upfront, and milestone payments, and royalties on sales of any products covered by the licensing agreement.

"We are pleased to be granting Calando a new InterfeRx license, providing them access to Alnylam intellectual property, which we believe is critical for the development and commercialization of all RNAi therapeutic products," said Jason Rhodes, vice president, business development of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. "Calando has demonstrated exciting progress with the only clinical stage RNAi therapeutic oncology programme, currently in Phase I trials, and we are encouraged by the potential for similar success with this new target. Calando exemplifies the progress in our InterfeRx program, an important part of our overall strategy to create value today by leveraging our intellectual property portfolio for the development of RNAi therapeutics."

"This license from Alnylam represents an important step in our continued efforts to develop and commercialize novel oncology therapeutics requiring systemic delivery," said James Hamilton, M.D., chief executive officer, Calando Pharmaceuticals. "We are excited by the success we have seen to date with our RNAi therapeutic programs targeting cancer, and are looking forward to continuing our work with Alnylam in this area."

Alnylam created the InterfeRx licensing programme to grant licenses under its intellectual property to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies wishing to pursue RNAi therapeutics against specific targets outside Alnylam's core strategic interests. To date, a total of five companies are InterfeRx licensees; the license grants cover nine active target programs including three in clinical development. In 2006, Alnylam granted Calando an InterfeRx license to develop and commercialize an RNAi therapeutic targeting the M2 subunit of ribonucleotide reductase (RRM2) formulated with Calando's proprietary Rondel (RNAi/Oligonucleotide Nanoparticle Delivery) polymer delivery system.

Alnylam is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics based on RNA interference, or RNAi. The company is applying its therapeutic expertise in RNAi to address significant medical needs, many of which cannot effectively be addressed with small molecules or antibodies, the current major classes of drugs.