Silence Therapeutics plc of London said its partner, Quark Pharmaceuticals Inc., started a Phase II clinical trial of RTP-801i-14, a small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutic product based on Silence’s AtuRNAi technology, triggering a $1.9 million milestone payment to Silence from Quark.
The study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the product in improving visual acuity compared to laser treatment in patients with diabetic macular oedema. The Phase II study is being funded and conducted by Quark’s partner Pfizer Inc, which in-licensed RTP-801i-14 from Quark for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other ophthalmologic and non-ophthalmologic indications in a deal announced in 2006.
Iain Ross, Chairman and CEO of Silence Therapeutics said, “It is great news that our partners Quark and Pfizer are continuing to make good clinical progress with RTP-801i-14, a compound which we discovered together in our collaboration with Quark. The commencement of the first Phase II clinical trial utilising our chemistry is a very significant milestone for Silence and the advancement of this compound represents a further strong validation of our proprietary AtuRNAi technology.”
Silence also announced that its German subsidiary, Silence Therapeutics AG was awarded a Euro 1.5 million research grant from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research through the BioChancePlus grant programme. This provides individual grants to support innovative research initiatives in Germany.
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