Development of RNAi therapeutics, a new class of pharmaceuticals with significant market potential, has been hindered to date by the lack of effective delivery technology. PhaseRx was founded to solve a critical challenge in RNAi delivery: the need for a versatile, developable system that can be administered systemically and deliver RNAi drugs into the cell where they can reach and inhibit the drug targets.

PhaseRx is deploying an integrated delivery system based on novel synthetic polymers that delivers RNAi drugs into the cytoplasm by mediating their escape from intracellular vesicles called endosomes, where these drugs are often trapped and sequestered. The synthetic polymers exploit natural cellular processes and pH changes to effect endosome escape, delivering RNAi drugs into the cytoplasm where they can reach and inhibit the desired target of interest.

This proprietary delivery system represents a breakthrough technology for the development of RNAi-based drugs. It is designed to provide a robust, developable, and versatile RNAi delivery system that will enable our pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners to take their novel molecules forward into clinical development. The PhaseRx system offers significant advantages: effective intracellular RNAi delivery, broad applicability, and consistency with pharmaceutical development standards.

With a comprehensive intellectual property portfolio, an experienced management team, top-tier investor syndicate and a breakthrough RNAi delivery system, PhaseRx is well positioned to enable its partners' RNAi development programs and establish a portfolio of licensing transactions that will provide a diverse and sustainable revenue stream.

PhaseRx was founded by Robert Overell, President and CEO, together with Patrick Stayton and Allan Hoffman of the University of Washington, Oliver Press of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Paul Johnson, the Company's Chief Scientific Officer. PhaseRx was conceived on the basis of using novel polymer technology to deliver siRNA. The Company's proprietary technology is a new type of synthetic, multi-functional polymer exclusively licensed from the University of Washington. The polymers come from the laboratories of Patrick Stayton and Allan Hoffman at the University of Washington, which have world-class expertise in fine-tuning the polymers to meet intracellular and in vivo delivery needs.