Arcturus Therapeutics to Report Identification of LUNAR-HBV, a Potent Combination of Three UNA Oligomers Targeting All Hepatitis B Virus Genotypes at the AASLD Liver Meeting® 2016

SAN DIEGO, Oct 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Arcturus Therapeutics, Inc. ("Arcturus" or the "Company"), a leading RNA medicines company, announced today that preclinical data for a multi-siRNA treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), developed in collaboration with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, will be presented in a poster at The Liver Meeting, the 67^th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) being held November 11-15, 2016, in Boston.

The presentation identifies a potent combination of three UNA (Unlocked Nucleomonomer Agent) oligomers that targets all HBV transcripts and covers all known HBV sequences – the most comprehensive HBV genotype coverage reported for a single drug product to date. The combination demonstrated excellent efficacy in mouse models of HBV infection using Lipid-enabled and Unlocked Nucleomonomer Agent RNA (LUNAR™), a novel biodegradable nanoparticle delivery technology with a favorable safety profile.

"Arcturus is delighted to present HBV preclinical data, developed in collaboration with Janssen, at the AASLD Liver meeting 2016," said Joseph E. Payne, Arcturus' President & Chief Executive Officer. "Based on the potent reduction of Hepatitis B surface antigen, and the observed safety profile, LUNAR-HBV has the potential to be part of a new generation of HBV therapies."

The poster presentation "LUNAR-HBV, a UNA Oligomer Combination for the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection" will be presented by Christine Esau, Ph.D., Director of Translational Biology on November 14, 2016, between 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EST. Authors: Christine Esau, Pattraranee Limphong, Kiyoshi Tachikawa, James McSwiggen, Wendy Taylor, Michael Figa, Priya Karmali, David Smith, Tse-l Lin, Leonid Beigelman, and Pad Chivukula.

"Arcturus' novel RNA therapeutics treatment for HBV, LUNAR-HBV, has shown potent anti-HBV activity in HBV-infected human hepatocytes and in mouse models of HBV infection," said Pad Chivukula, Ph.D., Arcturus' Chief Scientific Officer. "The combination of three UNA oligomers also has the potential to minimize viral resistance and we are enthusiastic about the attributes of UNA chemistry and of the LUNAR delivery platform as we advance this program with our partners."

About Arcturus Therapeutics, Inc.   

Founded in 2013 and based in San Diego, Arcturus Therapeutics, Inc. is an RNA medicines company with enabling technologies — UNA Oligomer™ chemistry and LUNAR™ nanoparticle delivery. Arcturus' versatile RNA therapeutics platform can be applied toward all types of RNA medicines including small interfering RNA, messenger RNA, antisense RNA, microRNA and gene editing therapeutics. The company owns LUNAR™ nanoparticle delivery and unlocked nucleomonomer agent (UNA) technology including UNA Oligomers™, which are covered by its patent portfolio (77 patents and patent applications, issued in the U.S., Europe, Japan and other countries). Arcturus' proprietary UNA technology can be used to target any gene in the human genome, as well as viral genes, and other species for therapeutic purposes. The Company's commitment to the development of novel RNA therapeutics has led to collaborations and license agreements with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, and Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, Inc. For more information, visit www.ArcturusRx.com.

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SOURCE Arcturus Therapeutics, Inc.

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