Core Technology

Core Technology

Andes Biotechnologies has developed a new proprietary technology based on the discovery of a novel family of RNA targets of mitochondrial origin that when disrupted by anti-sense technology they selectively destroy cancer cells when the RNAs migrate to the nucleus. Silencing of RNA is a Nobel Prize winning technology and one of the most exciting areas of drug discovery today. It represents a completely new approach to selectively inactivate disease relevant genes and as such it has the potential to create a new class of therapeutic products. Knocking down the expression of RNAs has revolutionized biology by allowing researchers to directly observe the effects of the loss of function of specific genes in mammalian systems. This technology could therefore offer a novel therapeutic approach to cancer, which has been regarded as incurable and is not successfully addressed by current therapeutics, therefore providing a large market opportunity.

However, achieving efficient in vivo delivery of inactivating oligos to the appropriate target cell has been a major hurdle in the advancement of this technology as a therapeutic agent. Andes is exploring a variety of delivery technologies in-house and with potential partners, including lentiviral vectors, nanoparticles and liposomes.

Andes Biotechnologies is following an aggressive patenting strategy in Europe, the USA and Asia, aiming to become a leading biotechnology company worldwide with a proprietary position (3 issued patents already, including EU) on composition of matter for a novel family of RNA targets of mitochondrial origin that when disrupted by complementary oligos they selectively destroy cancer cells via apoptosis.