Delivery & Technology Partnerships

Alnylam Partnerships in Delivery and Technology Collaborations

An important area of scientific focus at Alnylam is developing approaches for introducing "drug-like" properties and achieving broad delivery of small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs — the molecules that mediate RNAi. We actively identify, evaluate, and license delivery technologies in addition to our extensive internal delivery efforts.

Arrowhead Research Corporation

In January 2012, Alnylam received a license from Arrowhead to utilize their Dynamic Polyconjugate (DPC) delivery technology for an RNAi therapeutic product. Alnylam expects to deploy this technology for an undisclosed target in its Alnylam 5x15 pipeline which is focused on genetically defined targets and diseases. Arrowhead is eligible to receive from Alnylam milestone payments and royalties on sales of product resulting from the license.

Tekmira Pharmaceuticals

In June 2008, as part of the completed Tekmira-Protiva merger, Alnylam completed a new agreement expanding the company's access to key technology and intellectual property for the delivery of RNAi therapeutics with liposomal delivery technologies. Alnylam obtained exclusive license to Tekmira's rights to the Semple (U.S. Patent No. 6,858,225) and Wheeler (U.S. Patent Nos. 5,976,567 and 6,815,432) patents, which the company believes are required for cationic liposomal delivery. Alnylam also obtained expanded rights to IP controlled by Protiva prior to the merger and to new IP generated by the combined entity.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

In May 2007, Alnylam announced a major research collaboration with the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT and the laboratories of Drs. Daniel Anderson and Robert Langer, two world leaders in innovations on the delivery of biopharmaceuticals. As part of this collaboration, Alnylam is sponsoring a five-year research program focused on the delivery of RNAi therapeutics with the exclusive option to license future RNAi technology resulting from the research sponsorship.

MIT has been a collaborator of Alnylam's for several years. In 2006, we exclusively licensed a portfolio of patent applications that cover a wide variety of drug delivery techniques for nucleic acid compounds. These patent applications are based on research programs of Dr. Robert Langer at MIT, whose discoveries in drug delivery can be applied to delivery of RNAi-based therapeutics.

Our relationship with MIT dates back to the earliest days of Alnylam's history. In February 2003, Alnylam completed the in-licensing of a series of fundamental patents, the so-called "Tuschl I" and "Tuschl II" patents, in the then emerging field of RNA interference. MIT joined the Max Planck Institute and the Whitehead Institute as part of that licensing agreement.

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

In March 2004, Alnylam entered into a broad, strategic collaboration and license agreement with Isis, a leading developer of single-stranded antisense oligonucleotide drugs. The agreement enhances Alnylam's intellectual property position with respect to RNAi-based therapeutics and its ability to develop and commericialize RNAi therapeutics. Isis granted Alnylam licenses to its current and future patents and patent applications relating to oligonucleotide chemistry and to RNA-targeting mechanisms for the research, development and commercialization of RNAi therapeutics.

In April 2009, Alnylam and Isis formed a new collaboration focused on the development of single-stranded RNAi (ssRNAi) technology. As part of the collaboration, Isis has co-exclusively licensed its ssRNAi technology to Alnylam in exchange for upfront payments, research and development milestone payments, and royalties. The alliance provides Alnylam with access to Isis' intellectual property and expertise regarding the development of ssRNAi antisense drugs, while both companies will have the opportunity to discover and develop drugs employing the new technology. In addition to the new collaboration, Isis and Alnylam also agreed to extend their broad cross-licensing arrangement regarding double-stranded RNAi that was established in 2004.