Mirus Bio secures $900K grant to develop research tool

Madison, Wis. - Mirus Bio Corp. has been awarded a Phase II SBIR grant worth $900,000 to extend its microRNA detection technology for clinical research and possible diagnostic applications.

Mirus, a Madison-based life-science company engaged in gene therapy and the study of RNA interference, received the two-year grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. It will support collaborative research between Mirus Bio scientist Mary Anne Watt and Gregory J. Tsongalis, director of molecular pathology at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.

MicroRNAs are a recently discovered component of the cellular process known as RNA interference, which regulates the translation of RNA into proteins. Studies have suggested that microRNA might be involved in the onset of human diseases like cancer, and Mirus Bio is developing analytical tools so that researchers can detect them in the laboratory environment.

The basis of the grant was work performed by Mary Anne Watt and her Mirus Bio research team.

The company's lead therapeutic, however, is a treatment for Muscular Dystrophy that is being developed in collaboration with Transgene S.A. of Strasbourg, France. Related stories

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