Abbott and Dharmacon to Collaborate on siRNA Library

A collaboration to develop a short-interfering RNA (siRNA) library covering 4,000 genes to identify potential drug targets has been announced by Abbott Laboratories (Abbott Park, IL, USA) and Dharmacon, Inc. (Lafayette, CO, USA). The drug targets are for Abbott's key therapeutic areas, and the agreement covers genes believed to be important in cancer, diabetes, pain management, inflammation, and neurologic disorders

The library is being developed using Dharmacon's SMART technologies platform and manufactured using Dharmacon's ACE RNA chemistries. Dharmacon's technologies overcome difficulties that have been associated with RNAi by using proprietary algorithms to select the best siRNA sequences for each application, eliminating the need for time-consuming trial and error, and then pooling four candidates for guaranteed gene silencing. Dharmacon retains rights to the siRNAs developed under the agreement.

"Our SMART technologies eliminate many of the bottlenecks associated with RNAi research because we use single reagents and routinely achieve unparalleled levels of gene silencing with a very high probability of success,” said Stephen A. Scaringe, Ph.D., co-chairman and chief scientific officer of Dharmacon.





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