RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company pursuing the development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi), announced a collaboration with Shalesh Kaushal, M.D., Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS). The research collaboration will be focused on the application of RXi's self-delivering RNAi (sd-rxRNA) compounds for ocular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in Americans over 55 years of age.

RXi previously presented encouraging data on spontaneous cellular uptake and potent activity of sd-rxRNA compounds in retinal cells. The collaboration with UMMS will further advance RXi's therapeutic platform by evaluating the delivery and silencing activity of sd-rxRNAs in preclinical models of ocular disease.

Noah D. Beerman, president and CEO of RXi Pharmaceuticals commented, "We are eager to explore the use of our sd-rxRNA compounds in additional therapeutic areas, such as ocular disease, and to continue our successful relationship with the leading researchers at UMMS. Leveraging academic collaborations is an essential part of our business strategy and we are looking forward to collaborating with one of the top clinical research ophthalmologists in the US."

Dr Kaushal commented, "RXi's next generation sd-rxRNA compounds incorporate many drug-like properties of a successful therapeutic and may improve the clinical success of RNAi therapeutics. I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with such promising technology from one of the leading RNAi therapeutics companies."

Regarded as a revolutionary discovery in biology, RNA interference (RNAi) is a naturally occurring mechanism whereby short, double-stranded RNA molecules interfere with the expression of genes in living cells. This mechanism has the potential to be harnessed to "silence" or specifically block the production of disease-causing proteins before they are made. This technology can potentially be used to treat human diseases by "turning-off" genes that lead to disease in the first place. RXi Pharmaceuticals is using RNAi technology to develop RNA-derived molecules targeting disease-causing genes.

Self-delivering rxRNA (sd-rxRNA) is a proprietary technology developed at RXi which has the potential to enable the efficient delivery of RNAi compounds without the requirement of an additional delivery vehicle. This technology has potential clinical applications for diseases where localized delivery is an option and also has the potential to be applied for indications requiring systemic delivery of RNAi.

RXi Pharmaceuticals is a discovery-stage biopharmaceutical company pursuing the development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi) for the treatment of human diseases.

The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) attracts more than $240 million in research funding annually, and its innovative programs are the centerpiece of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative.