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 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.