RNAi Therapeutics Holds Therapeutic Promise for Unmet Conditions

Ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) mechanisms and technologies are being extensively explored in biological applications in order to silence mRNA’s encoding proteins and to develop appropriate therapies. BCC Research reveals in its new report, RNAi Technologies and Global Markets (BIO127B), the requirement of treatments for unmet medical conditions has boosted the RNAi mechanisms, which promise to be effective and potent if approved and commercialized after rigorous clinical trials.

Ribonucleic acid interference, or post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS), is a natural biological process, or cellular mechanism for gene regulation, wherein the RNA molecules obstruct the gene expressions by destructing messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules. This natural process for sequence-specific gene silencing is expected to transform experimental biology with significant applications in functional genomics, therapeutic intervention, diagnostics, agriculture, and other domains.

The RNAi research tools and reagents market should reach $391 million in 2020 from $262.1 million in 2015; reflecting a 5-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.4%. RNAi diagnostics, the fastest growing segment with a 5-year CAGR of 9.9%, should total $1.6 million in 2020, up from an anticipated $1 million in 2015.

The burgeoning RNAi market, one of the most watched markets in the pharmaceuticals industry, promises the encouraging application of RNAi mechanisms in therapeutics through gene silencing. Presently, there is no approved therapy; however, various candidates have shown successful results in their clinical investigations. The report reflects the details of those candidates along with prospective applications of RNAi in diagnostics and agriculture.

Overall, the market should demonstrate modest grow through 2020 with the successful utilization of techniques in both therapeutics and agriculture. However, one major challenge for successful drug development is identifying delivery strategies that can be utilized in clinics and in diagnostics. siRNA therapy development is affected by a number of barriers for siRNA to reach its prescribed targets in the cytoplasm and exercise its gene silencing proclivities. Systemic (enteral or parenteral administration such as intravenous injection) RNAi delivery poses greater challenges than local or loco-regional delivery of siRNA.

RNAi agents such as small/short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) are commonly used in developing therapeutics for various unmet conditions such as cancer, neurogenetic diseases, etc. MicroRNAs are comprehensively explored in diagnostics as well as in therapeutics. Various delivery mechanisms such as physical, vector-based and carrier-based RNAi delivery systems are being developed for appropriate delivery of RNAi agents to the target of interest.

“The mounting cost of research and development is making way for other technologies like RNAi therapeutics to make a strong base in an industry where the crucial need for drugs to combat unmet conditions is very high,” says BCC Research analyst Shalini S. Dewan. “RNAi offers rapid identification of specific disease targets from various molecular classes. Numerous studies demonstrate the wide array of prospective applications for RNAi therapeutics.”

RNAi Technologies and Global Markets (BIO127B) examines technologies used in the areas of drug delivery, therapeutics, and diagnostics. Analyses of global market drivers and trends, with data from 2014, estimates for 2015, and projections of CAGRs through 2020 are provided. For more information, contact BCC Research LLC, 49 Walnut Park, Building 2, Wellesley, MA 02481, Telephone: 866-285-7215; Email: editor@bccresearch.com (the source and publisher).