• The World Glaucoma Congress 2011 was held from 29 June to 2 July in Paris (France).
• Sylentis presented the results of the Phase I trial with SYL040012, its most advanced compound.
• The other poster describes the 24 therapeutic targets for treating glaucoma and ocular hypertension using interference RNA (RNAi)
• Sylentis is one of only five companies in the world with RNAi-based products undergoing clinical trials

Madrid, 4 July 2011: 

Sylentis, a biopharmaceutical subsidiary of Grupo Zeltia (MC: ZEL) which is a pioneer in the research and development of new drugs based on gene silencing (interference RNA: RNAi), presented two posters on its research into RNAi at the World Glaucoma Congress 2011, held in Paris from 29 June to 2 July.

One of the posters covered the company's Phase I trial with its most advanced compound, SYL040012, a novel topical treatment for glaucoma and ocular hypertension. The trial evaluated the product's safety in healthy volunteers. SYL040012 was administered as ophthalmic drops to 30 volunteers with normal intraocular pressure (IOP). The trial was divided into two parts. In the first phase, the safety of a single dose of the product was evaluated in six healthy volunteers. In the second phase, increasing doses were administered to 24 healthy volunteers (one dose per day in one eye for 7 days).  The results showed excellent local tolerance and no modifications to the ocular surface or to the iris. Moreover, IOP declined in most of the healthy volunteers.

The other poster covered the in vitro and in vivo efficacy data of the 24 targets for treating glaucoma that Sylentis has validated and patented. The small interfering RNA (siRNA) for the therapeutic targets were validated in the in vitro trials and their efficacy was analysed in trials on normotensive and hypertensive New Zealand white rabbits. The administration of siRNA in animal models assessed the maximum reduction of IOP, duration of the drug's effects, and the potential for long-term treatment. The results showed that different siRNA sequences in different therapeutic targets effectively reduced IOP and had a much longerlasting effect than commercial drugs.

About Sylentis

Sylentis was founded in 2006 as a spin-off from Grupo Zeltia subsidiary Genómica, S.A.U. In January 2011, Sylentis received authorisation from the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS) as a drug manufacturing facility, strengthening its position as a pioneer in Spain in the search for new therapies based on RNAi. The company aims to design effective short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) with therapeutic applications using bioinformatic programmes such as SIRFINDER®. Sylentis initially focused on developing therapies to treat such eye conditions as glaucoma/ocular hypertension and discomfort associated with dry eye syndrome, which are addressed by the company's most advanced compounds. It also has other research lines whose compounds are in the R&D and preclinical phases.

About interference RNA (RNAi) 

RNAi has arisen in recent years as a promising technology with therapeutic applications, and was recognised worldwide when its discoverers, Fire and Mello, received the Nobel Prize in 2006. Discovered in plants in the 1990s, RNAi consists of highly efficient selective and specific inhibition of gene expression. RNAi is mediated by small fragments of double-stranded RNA, consisting of 19-23 nucleotides, which promote degradation of messenger RNA (mRNA), thus inhibiting synthesis of the proteins for which they code and which are responsible for the pathology. RNAi therapy has great potential as this mechanism is used naturally by cells to regulate gene expression in a way that is both non-toxic and highly effective.

Important note

Sylentis, which is headquartered in Madrid (Spain), is a subsidiary of Grupo Zeltia (Spanish stock exchange: ZEL), which has been listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange since 1963 and on Spain's Electronic Market since 1998. This document is a press release, not a prospectus. This document does not constitute or form part of an offering or invitation to sell or a solicitation to purchase, offer or subscribe shares of the company. Moreover, no reliance should be placed upon this document for any investment decision or contract and it does not constitute a recommendation of any type with regard to the shares of the company.

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