Institute for International Research

Approximately 750 attendees, speakers and exhibitors networked and learned at TIDES® 2008. The event was hailed as a great success, excellent learning experience, superb forum for making new contacts and a very enjoyable time by all involved.

Participants heard new data in nearly 30 scientific sessions with over 100 presentations, including over 15 case studies, and learned of new products and services offered by 75 providers in the exhibit hall. Learning about cutting-edge science included the new data presented in over 25 posters.

Poster Winners

The advisory committee was split in its choices of poster winners, so two poster presenters shared the $250 cash poster award sponsored by BioProcess International. The two winning posters are:

• Modifications to MerMade 192 High Throughput Synthesizers for Efficient Aptamer Synthesis presented by Dipak Goyal, Archemix Corporation
• A Novel Therapeutic Approach for Fibrosis- Site Specific Delivery of siRNA against HSP47 in Novel Carriers presented by Yi Jin and co-workers, Nitto Denko Technical Corporation (Registered under Kinovate Life Sciences, Inc.) and Sapporo Medical University

Regarding the Archemix technology, the advisors said: usually high-throughput synthesis rhymes with plain-vanilla oligos, with simple synthesis. This development shows that it is possible to make high-throughput synthesis of heavily modified oligos. This new development appears to be an enabling technology for the fast screening of aptamers.

The data from Nitto Denko/Kinovate demonstrated that siRNA against the collagen specific molecular chaperone, HSP47, can be delivered specifically to stellate cells, and the treatment approach can inhibit collagen synthesis and reverse fibrosis in liver, lung and pancreatic models. Liposomes conjugated with vitamin A served as vehicles for the targeted delivery of antifibrotic siRNA.

Event Highlights

The keynote presentation by Dr. Blair A. Fraser, of CDER, FDA on current expectations on the CMC of Peptide- and Oligonucleotide-based Therapeutics was particularly appreciated by attendees. Participants also gained insights from the lively standing-room-only discussion session on CMC Regulatory Expectations where panelists included Dr. Fraser, Dr. René Thürmer of BfArm, Germany's regulatory agency, and industry regulatory experts.

The latest information on big pharma's perspective on the potential for peptide and oligo-based therapeutics were given in additional keynotes and plenary session presentations: delivered by Alan Sachs, M.D., Ph.D., Vice President, RNA Therapeutics, Merck Research Laboratories and by Waleed Danho, Ph.D., Discovery Chemistry, Hoffmann-LaRoche Inc., and on new understanding of miRNA by experts from The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC, Merck & Co., Inc.

Content of new data disclosed was rated the highest ever in the tracks on peptides and oligos in preclinical and clinical development, the Process and Analytical Development session, and the full day on routes of administration in development.

The conference on Nucleic Acids Technologies for Diagnostics drew record attendance with highlights of the keynote by Dr. Steven Gutman of CDRH, US FDA, and Dr. Ichiro Hirao of RIKEN Genomic Sciences Center and TagCyx Biotechnologies, Japan.