Sirnaomics Incorporated, a biopharmaceutical company involved in discovery and development of novel RNAi therapeutics, announced on Friday that it has mobilised its research teams in USA and China to develop novel RNAi-based prophylactics and therapeutics intended for the treatment of patients suffering from Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) caused by the 2019 novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

Based on United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the outbreak of respiratory illness that is caused by a novel coronavirus and was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China (as of 24 January 2020), continues to spread. In addition to confirmed cases in multiple provinces in China, human-to-human infections with the virus have been confirmed in Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam and USA. The total confirmed number of patients infected by 2019- novel Coronavirus is 929, with 26 deaths in Hubei Province, China.

The Sirnaomics R&D team has an established track record of using siRNA prophylactics and therapeutics intended to treat SARS coronavirus, H5N1 influenza and other respiratory viral infections, with multiple animal models including non-human primate. The Sirnaomics team has already identified potentially potent siRNAs, specifically targeting the viral genes critical for the viral infection and replication. Collaborating with laboratories having cell culture models of 2019-nCoV infection, Sirnaomics expects to develop multiple siRNA drug candidates.