SLN.L Regulatory News (SLN)

2 Nov 2007 07:01

Silence Therapeutics PLC02 November 2007 Silence Therapeutics plc ('Silence Therapeutics', 'the Group' or 'the Company') Silence Therapeutics to Present at the Acumen BioFin Rodman & Renshaw 9th Annual Healthcare Conference London, 2 November 2007 - Silence Therapeutics plc (LSE:SLN), a leading EuropeanRNAi therapeutics company, announces that the company will be presenting at theAcumen BioFin Rodman & Renshaw 9th Annual Healthcare Conference, 5-7 November,in New York, NY, USA. The company's Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Vick, isscheduled to present at 1.20pm on 7 November. A webcast of the presentation willbe available on http://www.wsw.com/webcast/rrshq12/sln.ln - Ends - Enquiries: Silence Therapeutics plc Citigate Dewe Rogerson +44(0)20 3102 5130 +44(0)20 7638 9571 Jeff Vick, Chief Executive Officer David DibleMelvyn Davies, Financial Director Yvonne Alexander Notes to Editors Silence Therapeutics plc (www.silence-therapeutics.com) Silence Therapeutics plc (LSE:SLN) is a leading RNAi company. RNA interference(RNAi) can selectively 'silence' genes linked to the onset of disease. Silence Therapeutics has developed novel, proprietary short interfering RNA('siRNA') molecules, AtuRNAi, which provide a number of advantages overconventional siRNA molecules as they show increased stability against nucleasedegradation. In addition, the Company has developed a proprietary systemicdelivery system, AtuPLEX. This enables the delivery of siRNA molecules totargeted diseased tissues and cells, whilst increasing their bioavailability andintracellular uptake. In July 2007, Silence Therapeutics formed a research and developmentcollaboration with Astra Zeneca to develop AtuRNAi against five targets inrespiratory indications. The Group's AtuRNAi technology has also beensublicensed to Pfizer by Quark Pharmaceuticals, through Quark's license of thecompound RTP-801i-14 for the treatment of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)and a number of other indications. This compound entered the clinic in early2007. Quark Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has developed a further one of its proprietarycompounds, AKIi-5, based on AtuRNAi technology under the existing licence fromSilence Therapeutics. This compound has been granted an IND for acute kidneyinjury and is expected to enter the clinic in 2007. In addition, SilenceTherapeutics expects to begin the clinical development of its proprietaryAtuRNAi therapeutic molecules for systemic cancer indications in 2008. Silence Therapeutics is based in London, UK, and Berlin, Germany, and is listedon AIM. About RNAi RNA interference (RNAi), a Nobel Prize winning technology, is one of the mostexciting areas of drug discovery today. It represents a completely new approachto selectively 'silence' or inactivate disease relevant genes and as such it hasthe potential to create a new class of therapeutic products. RNAi couldtherefore offer a therapeutic approach to a broad range of diseases (cancer,infectious diseases, inherited diseases), many of which have been regarded asincurable and are not addressed by current therapeutics, therefore providing alarge market opportunity. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange