Collaboration
InteRNA Technologies BV, of Utrecht in the Netherlands, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, in Boston, US, have entered into a research agreement to develop microRNA (miRNA)-based therapeutics for cancer.
Under the research collaboration with William C. Hahn, of the Department of Medical Oncology at Dana-Farber, InteRNA’s lentiviral-based miRNA over-expression library will be used to identify the biological role of individual miRNAs and novel therapeutic targets in various cancer pathways.
“We are very excited about this collaboration with Dr Hahn, a renowned cancer investigator, and the Dana-Farber, as it allows for functional screens in diverse cell-based assays embedded in a lab with extensive knowledge of cancer”, said Roel Schaapveld, Chief Executive Officer of InteRNA Technologies.
“These functional screens hold great promise to help us better understand the roles of miRNAs in cancer and to identify potential treatment targets,” said Hahn.
InteRNA was set up by Edwin Cuppen and Eugene Berezikov of the Hubrecht Institute in Utrecht in 2006 to translate a collection of miRNAs and miRNA discovery and validation technologies into diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic applications. The company’s primary focus is to unravel the role of its proprietary miRNAs in cancer.
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