Phio Pharmaceuticals announces patent grant by USPTO

Phio Pharmaceuticals announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted patent application 17/150,614 for two of its INTASYL Compounds, RXI-185 and RXI-231. The compounds treat age-related skin disorders including photo-aging and dermal hyperpigmentation, targeting the down-regulation of the Matrix metalloproteinase-1 and Tyrosinase proteins. Ultraviolet radiation exposure is a known contributor to skin cancer and aging, inducing the hyperactivity of MMP1 which increases collagen breakdown and reduces collagen synthesis. RXI-185 is a potent silencer of MMP1 expression in the skin, interrupting UVR induced collagen breakdown, thereby, improving and/or slowing the progression for skin thickening, elasticity and wrinkles. Various dermal pigmentation conditions including melasma and lentigines are notoriously difficult to treat. RXI-231 has been shown to penetrate the epidermal-dermal junction where tyrosinase-producing melanocytes reside and reduces the levels of tyrosinase in the skin, resulting in detectable reductions of both melanin and pigmentation in nonclinical studies. The Phio patent portfolio now consists of 81 issued patents, 77 of which cover our INTASYL siRNA gene silencing technology. The portfolio includes patents and applications broadly covering both the composition and methods of use of our INTASYL compounds targeting immune checkpoint, cellular differentiation, and metabolism targets for ex vivo cell-based cancer immunotherapies.