UK collaboration will revolutionise oligonucleotide manufacturing

The Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (MMIC) has today launched a scalable, sustainable and more cost-effective way to make oligonucleotides.

Oligonucleotides are short strands of synthetic DNA or RNA that can be used to tackle both rare and more common diseases. They work by interfering with how genes are expressed.

This next generation therapeutic is now being explored to treat chronic diseases, like some types of heart disease, that affect large numbers of people. However, their usefulness is currently limited by inefficiencies, inherent in the existing manufacturing process.

With many prospective oligonucleotide-based medicines either in development or clinical trials, a cost-effective, sustainable manufacturing method will ensure current and future needs are met.

Pioneering production process

That’s why UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is investing £1m into the collaboration alongside:

  • AstraZeneca
  • Exactmer
  • Novartis.

This funding will help the UK become the first country in the world to deliver this pioneering production process at a large scale. Read more