| Regulus Therapeutics Strengthens Strategic Alliance Team Responsible for Managing Productive microRNA Therapeutic Alliances |
LA JOLLA, Calif., Feb 28, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Regulus Therapeutics Inc. today announced the appointment of Renee Lamb as senior director of global alliance and strategic planning and Kevin Steffy, Ph.D. as director of alliance and project management. Together they will lead global alliance and strategic planning efforts at Regulus. Ms. Lamb will be responsible for the management of the company's key alliances and Dr. Steffy will direct specific collaboration programs. "Regulus believes in establishing deep and meaningful relationships with its strategic partners," said Garry E. Menzel, Ph.D., chief operating officer and executive vice president of finance of Regulus. "We treat our alliances with sanofi-aventis and GlaxoSmithKline as true collaborations rather than business transactions and the addition of Renee and Kevin to specifically focus on delivering successful microRNA therapeutics from these collaborations is a clear demonstration of that commitment." Ms. Lamb brings over twenty years of proven expertise in program and portfolio management, regulatory, compliance, and quality at biotech startups, including Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Biogen IDEC, and Genentech. She has led the alliance management function for numerous global strategic alliances, and has contributed to the approval and commercialization of several biologics, including Rituxan, Zevalin, Pulmozyme, and Activase. Lamb received a B.S. in Biology from Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA. Dr. Steffy is a trained virologist with previous experience as a director of virology at Anadys Pharmaceuticals, where he directed discovery research and participated in the clinical development of inhibitors of HCV. Prior to that, Dr. Steffy was the group leader in the anti-infective research division at Abbott Laboratories, where he participated in the discovery and pre-clinical development of inhibitors to HIV, HCV, and Influenza. Dr. Steffy received a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Tennessee and a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Pittsburgh. About microRNAs The discovery of microRNA in humans during the last decade is one of the most exciting scientific breakthroughs in recent history. microRNAs are small RNA molecules, typically 20 to 25 nucleotides in length, that do not encode proteins but instead regulate gene expression. More than 700 microRNAs have been identified in the human genome, and over one-third of all human genes are believed to be regulated by microRNAs. A single microRNA can regulate entire networks of genes. As such, these molecules are considered master regulators of the human genome. microRNAs have been shown to play an integral role in numerous biological processes, including the immune response, cell-cycle control, metabolism, viral replication, stem cell differentiation and human development. Most microRNAs are conserved across multiple species, indicating the evolutionary importance of these molecules as modulators of critical biological pathways. Indeed, microRNA expression or function has been shown to be significantly altered in many disease states, including cancer, heart failure and viral infections. Targeting microRNAs with anti-miRs, antisense oligonucleotide inhibitors of microRNAs, or miR-mimics, double-stranded oligonucleotides to replace microRNA function opens potential for a novel class of therapeutics and offers a unique approach to treating disease by modulating entire biological pathways. To learn more about microRNAs, please visit http://www.regulusrx.com/microrna/microrna-explained.php About Regulus Therapeutics Inc. Regulus Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company leading the discovery and development of innovative new medicines targeting microRNAs. Regulus is using a mature therapeutic platform based on technology that has been developed over 20 years and tested in more than 5,000 humans. In addition, Regulus works with a broad network of academic collaborators and leverages the oligonucleotide drug discovery and development expertise of its founding companies, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY) and Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ISIS). Regulus is advancing microRNA therapeutics towards the clinic in several key areas including hepatitis C infection, immuno-inflammatory diseases, fibrosis, oncology, and cardiovascular/metabolic diseases. Regulus' intellectual property estate contains both the fundamental and core patents in the field and includes over 600 patents and more than 300 pending patent applications pertaining primarily to chemical modifications of oligonucleotides targeting microRNAs for therapeutic applications. In April 2008, Regulus formed a major alliance with GlaxoSmithKline to discover and develop microRNA therapeutics for immuno-inflammatory diseases. In February 2010, Regulus and GlaxoSmithKline entered into a new collaboration to develop and commercialize microRNA therapeutics targeting microRNA-122 for the treatment of hepatitis C infection. In June 2010, Regulus and sanofi-aventis entered into the largest-to-date strategic alliance for the development of microRNA therapeutics. This alliance is focused initially on fibrosis. For more information, visit http://www.regulusrx.com Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding the future therapeutic and commercial potential of Regulus' business plans, technologies and intellectual property related to microRNA therapeutics being discovered and developed by Regulus. Any statement describing Regulus' goals, expectations, financial or other projections, intentions or beliefs is a forward-looking statement and should be considered an at-risk statement. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, particularly those inherent in the process of discovering, developing and commercializing drugs that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics, and in the endeavor of building a business around such products. Such forward-looking statements also involve assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove correct, could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although these forward-looking statements reflect the good faith judgment of Regulus' management, these statements are based only on facts and factors currently known by Regulus. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These and other risks concerning Regulus' programs are described in additional detail in Alnylam's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, and Isis' annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and Isis' most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q, which are on file with the SEC. Copies of these and other documents are available from either Isis or Alnylam. SOURCE: Regulus Therapeutics Regulus Therapeutics |