Thursday, July 6, 2006

Dharmacon, Abbott Collaborate on siRNA Therapeutics

Lafayette, Colorado-based Dharmacon has inked a deal with Abbott, to develop new therapeutic agents. The firms said today that they will work together on gene silencing technology of RNA interference (RNAi), initially focused on oncology. The two will use Dharmacon's siRNA chemistries and technologies to optimize siRNAs for therapeutic use, with Abbott managing the drug discovery and development process, along with commercialization of products. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Dharmacon is a unit of Fisher Biosciences, which purchased the company in 2004.