Oligonucleotides News and Research

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Oligonucleotides are short sequences of nucleotides (RNA or DNA), typically with twenty or fewer bases. Automated synthesizers allow the synthesis of oligonucleotides up to 160 to 200 bases.

Uncovering cellular mechanism related to gene silencing therapies

Gene silencing therapies are used to interfere with, or "silence", the expression of genes that are associated with disorders. Now, a team at TMDU has uncovered some of the cellular mechanisms by which the silencing therapies act in cells.

7 Jul 2021

New components for oligonucleotide drugs show safety, efficacy in treating spinal muscular atrophy

Skoltech researchers and their colleagues from Russia and the UK investigated the safety and efficacy of new chemistry in antisense oligonucleotides used to treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a debilitating genetic disease.

29 Jun 2021

SARS-CoV-2 test in 20 minutes with FISH

A collaboration from the University of Oxford and the University of Warwick has led to research into a novel method of viral detection through rapid fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in order to effectively detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus within 20 minutes.

29 Jun 2021

Viral phosphoesterases (including in CoVs) can restrict antiviral innate immunity

An interesting new study describes the activities of a family of viral enzymes called two-histidine-phosphoesterases (2H-PEs), found in coronaviruses (CoVs) and rotaviruses, as well as a mammalian A-kinase anchoring protein enzyme, AKAP7, that shares the same function. Together called 2’,5’-PEs, these enzymes all break down 2’,5’-oligoadenylate compounds that activate the antiviral enzyme ribonuclease L (RNase L).

21 Jun 2021

Study reveals potentially druggable process of SARS-Cov-2 assembly and replication

Of all the proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the pathogen that causes COVID-19), the spike protein is the one that gets the most attention.

17 Jun 2021

Researchers demonstrate a potentially powerful strategy for treating cystic fibrosis

UNC School of Medicine scientists led a collaboration of researchers to demonstrate a potentially powerful new strategy for treating cystic fibrosis (CF) and potentially a wide range of other diseases.

16 Jun 2021

What makes the elderly more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Why is severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), biased towards infecting the aged population? A recently published study by Italian scientists linked aging, DNA damage, telomere shortening, and increased levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) to this relationship.

13 Jun 2021

Researchers identify a common mechanism underlying diverse brain disorders

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have identified a common mechanism underlying a spectrum of epilepsy syndromes and neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, that are caused by variations in a gene encoding a vital transporter protein in the brain.

9 Jun 2021

Synthetic microRNA can serve as a novel therapeutic agent for treating human cancer

Oncotarget published "Multi-modal effects of 1B3, a novel synthetic miR-193a-3p mimic, support strong potential for therapeutic intervention in oncology" which reported that the authors comprehensively investigated miRNA-193a-3p's mode of action in a panel of human cancer cell lines, with a variety of genetic backgrounds, using 1B3, a synthetic microRNA mimic

2 Jun 2021

NUS researchers develop a way to automate the production of pharmaceutical small molecules

The discovery and development of new small-molecule compounds for therapeutic use involves a huge investment of time, effort and resources.

1 Jun 2021

Intranasal COVID-19 therapeutic shows promise in preclinical trials

Researchers from the US and Denmark recently described a novel therapeutic option that targets the SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA) using locked nucleic acid antisense oligonucleotides (LNA ASOs). They identified an LNA ASO that binds to the 5’ leader sequence of SARS-CoV-2 ORF1a/b. This disrupts a highly conserved stem-loop structure with nanomolar efficacy and inhibits viral replication in host cells.

20 May 2021

A new method for efficient and automated production of synthetic DNA

Chemically synthesized short DNA sequences are extremely important ingredients with countless uses in research laboratories, hospitals, and in industry, like in the method for identifying COVID-19.

12 May 2021

Brain-targeting drug delivery with nano-scaled apoptotic bodies

Scientists from Nanjing University and University of Macau have discovered nano-scaled apoptotic bodies (ABs) as a new brain-targeting drug carrier, bringing new promise for the Parkinson's Disease as well as other brain diseases.

7 May 2021

New efforts to improve the efficacy of nucleotide-based drugs against prostate cancer, bone metastasis

Published in the Advanced Functional Materials, University of Minnesota researcher Hongbo Pang led a cross-institutional study on improving the efficacy of nucleotide-based drugs against prostate cancer and bone metastasis.

21 Apr 2021

Novel mRNA delivery vehicle provides alternative to LNPs for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines

Researchers in the United States have developed an alternative messenger RNA (mRNA) delivery platform to the lipid nanoparticles that are currently used in vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

18 Apr 2021

Single injection of RNA therapy improves vision in patient with genetic form of childhood blindness

A Penn Medicine patient with a genetic form of childhood blindness gained vision, which lasted more than a year, after receiving a single injection of an experimental RNA therapy into the eye.

1 Apr 2021

Scientists use specially designed gold nanoparticles to 'seek out' bone stem cells

Researchers at the University of Southampton have developed a new way of using nanomaterials to identify and enrich skeletal stem cells - a discovery which could eventually lead to new treatments for major bone fractures and the repair of lost or damaged bone.

29 Mar 2021

Quantum dot-based affinity biosensors in microfluidic systems offer an alternative SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics platform

In a new study published in Emergent Materials, researchers show how microfluidic systems integrated with quantum dot-based affinity biosensors can serve as a valuable platform to rapidly and accurately diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infection.

17 Mar 2021

The role of nanotechnology in the fight against COVID-19

Appearing in the journal Nanomedicine, the review summarized all the exciting advances made using diverse nanomaterials (polymeric, inorganic self-assembling materials and peptide-based) towards COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis and therapy.

15 Mar 2021

NTU scientists design new compound that could help reduce overactive immune response

When the body detects a pathogen, such as bacteria or viruses, it mounts an immune system response to fight this invader. In some people, the immune system overreacts, resulting in an overactive immune response that causes the body to injure itself, which may prove fatal in some cases.

10 Mar 2021