RNAI Sirna Therapeutics

Eleven Renowned Researchers to Guide Sirna's Advancing Therapeutic Pipeline SAN FRANCISCO, March 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sirna Therapeutics (NASDAQ:RNAI), a leading RNAi therapeutics company, has announced its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Joining Keith Yamamoto, Ph.D., Executive Vice Dean for Research at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and Chairman of the Sirna SAB are ten world-renowned scientists who bring expertise in key areas that will be invaluable in transitioning Sirna's pipeline programs from discovery to the clinic. Chaired by Dr. Yamamoto, the members of the Sirna Scientific Advisory Board are: * Jeffrey A. Bluestone, Ph.D., A.W. and Mary Margaret Clausen Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He is the Director of the UCSF Diabetes Center, the Immune Tolerance Network, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Collaborative Center for Cellular Therapy. Dr. Bluestone is an expert in diabetes and immunology * Beverly Davidson, Ph.D., Roy J. Carver Professor in Internal Medicine and Professor in Neurology, Physiology & Biophysics at the University of Iowa. Dr. Davidson is an expert in neurodegenerative diseases and the therapeutic use of siRNAs * Donald Ganem, M.D., Professor, Microbiology/Immunology and Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Dr. Ganem is an expert in viral diseases * Joe W. Gray, Ph.D., Associate Laboratory Director for Life and Environmental Sciences at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and the Director of the LBNL Life Sciences Division. Dr. Gray also is Adjunct Professor of Laboratory Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Gray is an expert in neoplastic diseases, breast and ovarian cancer in particular * Stanley M. Lemon, M.D., Director, Institute for Human Infections and Immunity Professor, Departments of Microbiology & Immunology and Internal MedicineUniversity of Texas Medical Branch. Dr. Lemon is an expert in chronic hepatitis C and innate immunity * Richard Locksley, M.D., Herbert and Marion Sandler Distinguished Professorship in Asthma Research; Professor of Medicine and Microbiology/Immunology, at the University of California, San Francisco and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Dr. Locksley is an expert in infectious disease and immunology * Jerrold M. Olefsky, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Co-Chair, Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Olefsky is an expert in type II diabetes and metabolic diseases * David W. Russell, Ph.D., Eugene McDermott Distinguished Chair in Molecular Genetics at the University of Texas Southwestern. Dr. Russell is an expert in lipid metabolism and endocrine disorders * Xiaodong Wang, Ph.D., George L. MacGregor Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Science at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Dr. Wang is an expert in apoptosis and the RNA interference mechanism * James A. Wells, Ph.D., Harry Wm. and Diana V. Hind Professorship in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Wells is an expert in molecular recognitions, the protein design and site-directed design of small molecule ligands "We are very pleased to bring together these key thought leaders to establish the Sirna Scientific Advisory Board," stated Barry Polisky, Sirna Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer. "Their deep insight into the etiology of important human diseases will be instrumental in advancing our therapeutic programs to the clinic. Further, the interest and direct participation of these world class scientists on our SAB reflects the progress we're making in the development of RNAi-based therapeutics." "During the past year, Sirna has made important advances in the development of RNAi-based therapeutics," said Dr. Yamamoto. "The completion of the Phase I clinical trial for Sirna-027 in age-related macular degeneration and the demonstration of systemic efficacy in non-human primates leading to the selection of a clinical candidate in hepatitis C has established Sirna as a leading siRNA therapeutics company. I expect that this exceptional SAB will make a significant contribution to Sirna's therapeutic programs and their ultimate success in the clinic." About Sirna Therapeutics Sirna Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing RNAi-based therapies for serious diseases and conditions, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), hepatitis B and C, dermatology, asthma, Huntington's disease, diabetes and oncology. Sirna Therapeutics has presented interim Phase 1 clinical trial data for its most advanced compound, Sirna-027, a chemically optimized siRNA targeting the clinically validated vascular endothelial growth factor pathway to treat AMD. Sirna-027, which has been partnered with Allergan, Inc., has demonstrated that it is safe and well tolerated with 25 of 26 patients showing visual acuity stabilization and 23% of those patients experiencing clinically significant improvement in visual acuity eight weeks after a single injection. In addition, Sirna recently announced that it has selected Sirna-034, a systemically delivered, optimized siRNA compound, as its candidate for advancement to human clinical testing against Hepatitis C virus. Sirna has a leading intellectual property portfolio in RNAi with 50 issued patents and over 250 pending applications worldwide. More information on Sirna Therapeutics is available on the Company's web site at http://www.sirna.com/. Safe Harbor Statement Statements in this press release which are not strictly historical are "forward-looking" statements which should be considered as subject to many risks and uncertainties. For example, most drug candidates do not become approved drugs. The development of Sirna-027 and Sirna-034 as well as Sirna's other programs are still at a relatively early stage and subject to significant risks and unknowns. Moreover, Sirna's ability to develop products and operate as a going concern requires significant cash to fund its operating programs. Additional risks and uncertainties include Sirna's early stage of development and short operating history, Sirna's history and expectation of losses and need to raise capital, the rate at which Sirna uses cash, the timing of receipt of development milestone payments from collaborating partners, Sirna's need to obtain clinical validation and regulatory approval for products, Sirna's need to obtain and protect intellectual property, risk of third-party patent infringement claims, Sirna's need to attract and retain qualified personnel, Sirna's need to engage collaborators, availability of materials for product manufacturing, the highly competitive nature of the pharmaceutical market, the limited trading volume and history of volatility of Sirna's common stock, Sirna's concentration of stock ownership, and risks from relocating Sirna headquarters. These and additional risk factors are identified in Sirna's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including the Forms 10-K and 10-Q and in other SEC filings. Sirna undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release. Contacts: Rebecca Galler Robison, Senior Director, Corporate Strategy of Sirna Therapeutics, Inc., 303-449-6500 Alan Zachary, McKinney Chicago, 312-944-6784 x316 DATASOURCE: Sirna Therapeutics, Inc. CONTACT: Rebecca Galler Robison, Senior Director, Corporate Strategy of Sirna Therapeutics, Inc., +1-303-449-6500; or Alan Zachary of McKinney Chicago, +1-312-944-6784, ext. 316, for Sirna Therapeutics, Inc. Web site: http://www.sirna.com/

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