CURNA is a therapeutics company which is utilizing novel non-coding RNA technology exclusively licensed from Scripps Florida to develop therapies for many important diseases for which no cure is currently available. The company was founded in 2008 by Scripps Florida Professor Claes Wahlestedt and South Florida entrepreneur Joseph Collard as a Scripps Florida spinoff.
CURNA has licensed a novel technology from Scripps based on the therapeutic potential of non-coding RNAs that do not produce protein. Dr. Wahlestedts's work at the Scripps Institute has shown that non-coding RNAs play a critical role in the regulation of gene expression. In the July 2008 issue of Nature Medicine, Wahlestedt showed for the first time that a specialized form of non-coding RNA was directly linked to increased levels of amyloid plaque in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. Published data suggests that 20% to 50% of our genes have these non-coding regulatory functions covered by our patent and hence the potential of developing new drugs and diagnostics. The applications of natural antisense interference are broad. Natural antisense interference based technologies have multiple uses including treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, metabolic diseases, and certain rare genetic conditions. It can also be used in the alleviation of symptoms and slowing of the progression of various diseases, as well as uses as diagnostic markers or tools.
At CURNA our mission is to make sense. Our research is focused on the therapeutic use of the sense strand of DNA and our approach to drug development makes sense both scientifically and biologically as we employ the body’s own cellular apparatus to produce the “drugs” required to combat the targeted disease state.
CURNA's research is focused on the following areas:
- Cancer
- Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Neurological Diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's
- Nerve Growth and Regeneration for Treatment of Paralysis
- Wound Healing