Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ISIS) and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ALNY) said that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance for U.S. patent application in the "Crooke" patent family, which broadly covers chemically modified RNA-containing therapeutics.
Specifically, the allowed Crooke application includes 75 claims covering methods of using chemically modified double-stranded RNA-containing compounds to activate an RNA nuclease.
The activation of the endogenous cellular RNase "argonaute 2" by double-stranded small interfering RNAs is a central step in RNAi, resulting in the sequence-specific cleavage of target mRNA.
The Crooke patent family stems from innovative research of Stanley Crooke and others at Isis to identify and design RNA molecules that harness cellular RNase enzymes as antisense drugs, including RNAi and microRNA therapeutics.
The Crooke patents are part of Isis' overall patent estate, which includes more than 1,600 issued patents worldwide that broadly cover the design and use of RNA-targeting drugs.
Following a notice of allowance, the process resulting in final issuance of a patent involves several administrative steps that are typically completed within a year, the companies noted.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.