Rockland Immunochemicals to Develop Synthetic Antibodies for Modified RNA Detection and Quantitation with $225,000 SBIR Funded Grant

Rockland Immunochemicals Inc. has announced that it has received a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH). Rockland will use the grant to develop synthetic antibodies for detection and quantitation of modified RNAs.

Also known as aptamers, synthetic antibodies can be used in basic research for discovery, but can also be used in applied research as biosensors for the diagnosis of diseases and detection of small molecules. Presently, the available reagents for detection, quantitation, or immunoprecipitation of modified RNA are extremely limited. “Post-transcriptional RNA modification plays an important role in biological processes and are essential for normal central nervous system (CNS) development,” explains Rockland’s President and CEO, Jim Fendrick. “The growth of these life science tools will enable the scientific community to effectively explore the role of RNA modification in biological development.”

In Phase I, a proof-of-principle project will develop high-affinity and target-specific aptamers, as well as aptamer-based detection assays for medically relevant modified RNAs. Rockland will be pursuing the generation of novel aptamer based biosensors. Such reagents will enable the scientific community to effectively explore the role of RNA modification in biological development.

As a result of this project, Rockland will create a comprehensive set of affinity reagents to be used in microarray profiling of RNA modifications in mouse models of neurological disorders. These products will be invaluable tools for the research community to investigate the function of RNA editing in general biological processes and offer specific reagents for interrogation of the central nervous system in particular.