Marina Biotech to Present Data on Vascular Resistance and Cancer at the Endocrine Society Annual Meeting on April 1

CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA--(Marketwired - Mar 24, 2017) - Marina Biotech, Inc. (OTCQB: MRNA), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapeutics for disease intersections of arthritis, hypertension and cancer, today announced that a new poster¹ on the use of antihypertensive for the treatment of cancer by targeting vascular resistance in the tumor will be presented at the Endocrine Society Annual Meeting to be held on April 1-4, 2017, at Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL. 

On April 1, 2017 at 1:00 pm E.T., Dr. Cynthia Lee, co-author of the abstract, will present the preclinical proof of concept for the use of olmesartan and lisinopril in the treatment of inflammatory breast cancer, melanoma and glioblastoma tumor models. Natriuretic peptides are peptide hormones secreted from the ventricles of the heart in response to changes in pressure that occur when heart failure develops and worsens. The authors examined the plasma levels of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in bladder, ovarian, glioblastoma and pancreatic cancers using a point of care quantitative test for BNP. With the exception of pancreatic cancer, bladder, ovarian, and glioblastoma cancers were associated with significant reduction in BNP and age-adjusted BNP blood levels. This suggested that vascular resistance is important for tumor growth and was confirmed by inhibition of tumor growth and metastasis in preclinical tumor models upon treatment with lisinopril and olmesartan, which are components of IT-102 and IT-103, respectively.

Joseph Ramelli, CEO of Marina Biotech, stated, "This preclinical proof of concept further supports the development of IT-102 and IT-103, not only for combined hypertensive/pain, but also for the treatment of cancers such as Familial Adenomatous Polyposis and colorectal cancer."

Dr. Vuong Trieu, Chairman of Marina Biotech and CEO of Marina Biotech's largest stockholder, Autotelic LLC, stated, "The recent issuance of a patent to Autotelic LLC for the use of BNP in the monitoring and treatment of cancer and the therapeutic application of IT-102 and IT-103 dovetail well together for personalized cancer therapy. The BNP patent that was issued to Autotelic LLC (U.S. Appl. No. 14/526,376 received Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in February, 2017) will have a patent life until 2034 and is part of the Autotelic portfolio of patents available to the consortium of companies under the Autotelic umbrella, including Marina Biotech. This represents the cumulative effort of the team over several years and is a significant step forward for cancer therapy."

¹ "Antitumor Activity of Anti-Hypertensive Agents: Relationship to Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) Levels in Cancer Patients, authored by C. Lee, O. J. D'Cruz, V. Trieu."

About Marina Biotech
Marina Biotech is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapeutics for disease intersections of arthritis, hypertension, and cancer. Our pipeline includes combination therapies of oligonucleotide-based therapeutics and small molecules. The Marina Biotech pipeline currently includes a clinical program in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (a precancerous syndrome). By its merger with IthenaPharma, Marina Biotech recently acquired IT-102/IT-103 -- next generation celecoxib -- which will be developed together with CEQ508 as a therapeutic enhancer for therapies against FAP and CRC. IT-102/IT-103 are also being developed for the treatment of combined arthritis/ hypertension and treatment of pain requiring high dose of celecoxib. Additional information about Marina Biotech is available at http://www.marinabio.com.

Marina Biotech Forward-Looking Statements
Statements made in this news release may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Federal Securities laws that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and involve factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or suggested. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (i) the ability of Marina Biotech to successfully integrate its business operations with those of IthenaPharma; (ii) the ability of Marina Biotech to obtain funding to support its clinical development; (iii) the ability of Marina Biotech to attract and/or maintain manufacturing, research, development and commercialization partners; (iv) the ability of Marina Biotech and/or a partner to successfully complete product research and development, including preclinical and clinical studies and commercialization; (v) the ability of Marina Biotech and/or a partner to obtain required governmental approvals; and (vi) the ability of Marina Biotech and/or a partner to develop and commercialize products prior to, and that can compete favorably with those of, competitors. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or suggested in any forward-looking statements are contained in Marina Biotech's most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Marina Biotech assumes no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking statements because of subsequent events.