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Article: Alnylam Gets $38.6 Million Grant For RNAi Antivirals.
- Article from:
- BIOWORLD Today
- Article date:
- November 3, 2009
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Staff Writer
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. gained additional government funding for its biodefense program with a $38.6 million grant from the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) for the development of an RNAi drug to treat viral hemorrhagic fevers.
Viruses in general are an "attractive option" for treatment with RNAi, because the drugs can target "aspects of the viral genome that are highly conserved and required for viral replication" yet are not characteristic of endogenous genes, said Alnylam's Chief Operating Officer Barry Greene.
Under the contract, Alnylam will research the silencing of host targets believed to be involved in ...