ISIS PHARMACEUTICALS - WHAT IS THE SENSE IN ANTISENSE

Isis Pharmaceuticals have an impressive patent portfolio built upon th eir ability to synthesise modified synthetic oligonucleotides in large amounts. The use of these compounds to inhibit gene expression by blo cking translation or activating RNase H has been demonstrated in vitro and one product is in Phase III clinical trials. Much depends upon th e Company's ability to use antisense oligonucleotides designed to inhi bit ras, raf, ICAM-1 and protein kinase C in disease tissues where the se proteins are valid drug targets. Having established this, the quest ion of drug delivery in whole animals will need to be addressed.