Calando Pharmaceuticals Inc. has established a collaborative development programme relating to RNAi-based therapeutics with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The terms of the development will be governed by a Letter of Intent to a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) that is currently being finalised by Calando and the NCI.

The programme with the NCI's Paediatric Oncology Branch will focus on developing RNAi therapeutics to attack neuroblastoma, the most common extracranial solid tumour in children younger than five years of age, informs the company release.

A collaborative study by Caltech and Children's Hospital Los Angeles recently demonstrated that Calando's proprietary delivery technology can deliver short interfering RNA (siRNA) to targeted cancer cells and inhibit tumor growth in mice by silencing the target gene.

The Calando-NCI research programme is anticipated to last at least three years, and involve preclinical research and its translation into human clinical trials. Responsibilities for development of the various therapeutics will be shared between Calando and the NCI.

The studies will include research on several receptor/ligand pairs for enhanced tumour targeting and multiple siRNA targets. Additionally, molecular imaging techniques will be used in combination with the therapeutic agents for the combined detection and treatment of cancer. All of the aspects of the project will involve the use of Calando's proprietary RNAi delivery technology that is based on a linear cyclodextrin-containing polymer designed to deliver nucleic acids such as siRNA.

John Petrovich, Calando's CEO. "Through this collaboration, Calando and the NCI hope to develop therapeutics to treat more effectively one of the deadliest cancers."

RNA interference, or RNAi, is a naturally occurring mechanism within cells for selectively silencing and regulating specific genes. Since many diseases are caused by the inappropriate activity of specific genes, the ability to silence and regulate such genes selectively through RNAi could provide a means to treat a wide range of human diseases.

Calando, a privately-held biopharmaceutical company that is in majority owned by Arrowhead Research Corporation develops and commercialises proprietary technologies for the therapeutic use of RNA interference or RNAi.