TITLE: Methods and Compounds Useful in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
INVENTORS: David Corey
TECHNOLOGY: Biologicals
UTSD: 2919
SUMMARY: Single-stranded silencing RNAs (ss-siRNAs) are chemically modified singlestranded oligonucleotides that can function through the cellular RNA interference (RNAi)
machinery to modulate gene expression. Because their invention is recent, few studies have
appeared describing their use and the potential of ss-siRNAs as a platform for controlling gene
expression remains largely unknown. Using oligonucleotides to modulate splicing is an
important area for therapeutic development and the investigators recently tested the hypothesis
that ss-siRNAs targeting splice sites might also be capable of directing increased production of
therapeutically promising protein isoforms. The investigators observed that ss-siRNAs alter the
splicing of dystrophin. Altered splicing requires a seed sequence complementarity to the target
and expression of the RNAi factor argonaute 2.
Please contact the Office for Technology Development for more details:
Phone: 214-648-1888
Email: TechnologyDevelopment@utsouthwestern.edu
Please reference UT Southwestern Case Number: 2919