Marina Biotech, Mirna Therapeutics Amend microRNA Pact

Marina Biotech, Inc. and Mirna Therapeutics, Inc. have amended their license agreement for the development and commercialization of microRNA-based therapeutics using Mirna’s microRNAs and Marina Biotech’s SMARTICLESliposomal delivery technology. Under the amendment, Mirna made certain pre-payments to Marina and now has additional rights to its lead program, MRX34, currently in Phase I development in unresectable primary liver cancer or metastatic liver cancer. Also, Mirna has optioned exclusivity on several additional miRNA targets. Further terms were not disclosed.

“Mirna and Marina Biotech have enjoyed a successful, durable collaboration by leveraging the systemic delivery of our proprietary, double-stranded, miRNA mimics with the SMARTICLES delivery technology,” said Paul Lammers, president and chief executive officer of Mirna Therapeutics. “Amendment of the license agreement strengthens the potential medical and commercial value of MRX34 as the first miRNA mimic to enter the clinic in cancer, and provides exclusivity for the use of SMARTICLES with other highly promising tumor suppressor miRNAs.”

“We are extremely pleased with our on-going relationship with Mirna as a forerunner in the human clinical development of microRNA-based therapeutics,” stated J. Michael French, president and chief executive officer of Marina Biotech. “We are also pleased about our ability to successfully close licensing transactions during the past year and a half, which has allowed us to keep the company moving forward during a difficult stretch. Although this transaction will not allow us to resume normal operations, I believe it will be sufficient to achieve certain tactical and strategic objectives over the next quarter. We have witnessed over the past several months increasing interest across the broader pharmaceutical sector in the application of our drug discovery engine to the development of nucleic acid-based therapeutics for rare and orphan diseases. We are excited about this increased awareness of our capabilities and hope to capitalize on these developments in the future.”