Worcester’s RXi Pharmaceuticals is taking a step toward developing its first therapeutic product.
The product candidate could reduce scarring in surgeries. It is a self-delivering RNAi compound that can silence a gene that moderates the development of connective tissues.
RXi said it plans to file an application with the FDA in the second half of 2011 to conduct human studies of the drug.
The company said the drug would address an unmet medical need and could eventually be used in the treatment of other conditions including acute spinal cord injury and ocular scarring. The total market for such uses is more than $16 billion, it said.
Aside from developing the product, RXi said it is focusing on completing a corporate partnership in the coming months.
