AVI Pharma and Ercole in mRNA accord

AVI BioPharma and fellow USA-based Ercole Biotech have entered into a cross-license and collaboration agreement to identify and develop drugs that direct the splicing of messenger RNA (mRNA) to treat a variety of genetic and acquired diseases. Under the terms of the deal, each party is granting the other rights under their respective patents for RNA splice-altering technologies.

AVI and Ercole will each select a set of specific gene targets and take the respective lead in investigating the potential therapeutic effects of shifting splicing of those genes. AVI refers to its therapeutic approach as ESPRIT (Exon Skipping Pre-RNA Interference Technology). Ercole uses the term Splice Switching Oligonucleotide in referring to its drug discovery platform to redirect mRNA splicing.

The license terms also include an exclusive license to Ercole to AVI's NEUGENE third-generation antisense chemistry for the specific targets selected by Ercole. NEUGENE molecules are also referred to as phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers.