History: Mirna Therapeutics™
Introduction | History | Small RNA Therapeutics
The Company’s miRNA therapeutic development program began at Ambion, “The RNA Company,” in 2002 when Ambion first started to develop molecular biology tools for studying miRNAs. Ambion scientists started using these tools themselves to compare the miRNA expression patterns of tumor and normal adjacent tissue. This research and an emerging body of scientific publications indicated that mis-regulation of miRNAs plays a major role in many cancers. Scientists from Ambion were among the first to identify miRNAs that are an integral part of the cancer process when their expression is altered. The identities and therapeutic applications of these miRNAs have been incorporated into a broad collection of patent filings. As this work expanded in scope, the decision was made to sell Ambion and create a new company to focus on newly emerging opportunities for miRNA based diagnostic and therapeutics. In late 2005 Ambion was sold to Applied Biosystems and Asuragen was formed from about 100 former Ambion employees who were comprised of the diagnostic and service divisions of Ambion, several miRNA research groups and a number of senior managers.
Early stage research into both diagnostic and therapeutic applications of miRNAs can be effectively performed within the same organization. However, as miRNA therapeutic candidates emerged, it became clear that a specialized set of skills and a different funding strategy would be needed to move these miRNAs into the clinic. In late 2007 the decision was made to spin off the therapeutic activities into a separate company, “Mirna Therapeutics”, focused on miRNA based therapeutics. Mirna has exclusive access to all of Asuragen’s intellectual property as it applies to therapeutics. The new company was “seeded” with $3M. Mirna is creating value by broadening its base of miRNA intellectual property, identifying new miRNA therapeutic targets, and advancing the development of several miRNA drug leads to validated drug candidates, including non-small cell lung carcinoma, metastatic prostate cancer and acute myeloid leukemia. Mirna is pursuing partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to leverage its intellectual property and expand the Company’s development pipeline in oncology. The Company’s intellectual property and research platforms also apply to diseases other than cancer, providing opportunities for partnerships outside the cancer space. Preferred partnerships include traditionally structured drug discovery and development collaborations, research and technology collaborations, and intellectual property licenses.