Benitec is a biotechnology company developing a proprietary therapeutic technology platform that combines RNA interference (RNAi) with gene therapy with a goal of providing sustained, long-lasting silencing of disease-causing genes from a single administration. Benitec is using its technology, called DNA-directed RNA interference (ddRNAi) to develop a pipeline of product candidates for the treatment of several chronic and life-threatening human diseases , including oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) and hepatitis B. By combining the specificity and gene silencing effect of RNAi with gene therapy, ddRNAi has the potential to produce long-lasting silencing of disease-causing genes from a single administration, which could minimize the requirement for patients to take regular doses of medicine. Benitec’s objective is to become the leader in discovering, developing, clinically validating and commercializing ddRNAi-based therapeutics for a range of human diseases with high unmet clinical need or large patient populations and, as a result, provide a better life for patients with these diseases.