BioCentury
ARTICLE | Tools & Techniques

Orally delivered siRNA

May 21, 2009 7:00 AM UTC

A group at the University of Massachusetts Medical School has developed an encapsulated formulation of small interfering RNA that allows for oral delivery of the therapeutics and directs the siRNAs to their target cells.1 The technology has the potential to prevent unwanted immune responses that can occur with naked siRNA and may offer a convenient advantage over the injectable delivery systems being pursued commercially.

Although the oral delivery vehicle needs to be standardized before it can be used in the clinic, the technology is already in the hands of a biotech, RXi Pharmaceuticals Corp., which is using it to develop oral RNAi-based therapies for inflammatory diseases...