RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NASDAQ: RXII) reported today that it has hired Dr. Anastasia Khvorova to fill the new post of Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). RXi Pharmaceuticals expects to benefit from the six years of experience Khvorova gained in the development and supply of RNAi compounds in her last job as CSO of Dharmacon, Inc.

According to company President and CEO, Dr. Tod Woolf, Khvorova’s appointment adds to the scope and depth of RXi’s talent in the RNAi field. “Among her many accomplishments,” noted Woolf, “Dr. Khvorova’s group at Dharmacon designed and manufactured RNAi compounds targeting virtually all of the known human genes. Moreover, Dr. Khvorova is one of the most widely cited authors of research articles in the field of RNAi, which serves as a testament to the impact her work has had in the field. Through her ground-breaking research, Dr. Khvorova also developed “self-delivering” RNAi compounds in her previous role as CSO at Dharmacon.”

“I am pleased to be joining the exceptional team at RXi which includes a number of leaders in the field of RNAi. I believe that RXi is well positioned to successfully address the challenges in developing next generation RNAi therapeutics,” said Dr. Khvorova. Khvorova is a recognized expert in the RNAi field. She has obtained 30 patents, authored 150 abstracts, numerous book chapters, and more than 40 peer-reviewed articles.

RXi Pharmaceutical is a Worcester, Massachusetts company formed in 2006 by a team of researchers including Dr. Craig Mello. In 2006, Mello won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his co-discovery of RNAi. With a market capitalization of $137 million, the company’s focus is on RNAi-based treatments for cancer, brain and nervous system disorders, and metabolic diseases.

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