Latest News

Mirus Corporation Announces the Issuance of a US Patent for Methodologies Used in the Generation of Non-Viral DNA-Containing Particles

Madison, WI, October 10, 2000 - Mirus Corporation, a Madison, Wisconsin, based molecular therapeutics firm, announced the issuance of a broad US patent, U.S. #6,126,964, covering a method of forming polymers in the presence of nucleic acid using template polymerization. These methods can be used for condensing the nucleic acid, for forming supramolecular complexes, and for the delivery of nucleic acids to cells.

The use of re-engineered viruses for gene therapy purposes, although promising, has a number of serious drawbacks including: immune recognition of viral components by the recipient, limitations in the size of the therapeutic gene; and large scale production problems. For these reasons and others, non-viral gene therapy remains an attractive approach to treating a wide range of diseases. To date however, formation of small, stable, non-viral DNA-containing particles has been problematic. This broad patent covers novel methodologies that facilitate the formation of virus-sized, stable, DNA-containing particles through the formation of polymers directly on a polyion (e.g. nucleic acid) template. Complexes formed using this technology can be rationally designed to be suitable for a wide range of gene delivery/gene therapy applications.

Return to Press Releases