Nijmegen/Utrecht (the Netherlands) – InteRNA Technologies B.V., the Dutch biopharma company engaged in the development of microRNA (miRNA)-based therapeutics, and the Neuroallianz Consortium, an academic industry partnership with UCB and the Rheinish Friedrich-Wilhelms-University of Bonn (Germany) as 2 of the total 10 partners have entered into an agreement where InteRNA will support the investigation of miRNAs in neurodegenerative diseases.

Under the agreement, InteRNA, working closely with Jeroen Pasterkamp, Professor of Translational Neuroscience at UMC Utrecht, will apply its platform for multi-parametric, high-throughput functional screening assays to identify and validate the biological role of individual miRNAs and novel therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative disease. This collaboration forms an integral part of the Neuroallianz project miRNAs in Neurodegenerative Diseases partnered by the University of Bonn and UCB and funded by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) in Germany.

Though InteRNA is building its own pipeline of miRNA drug candidates for cancer, it has shown validity of its platform for discovery and validation of miRNAs drug candidates and their mode of action for other disease indications.

“The selection of InteRNA to support this program validates the uniqueness of our platform and confirms its potential use outside oncology”, said Roel Schaapveld, CEO of InteRNA Technologies.