Oligonucleotides News and Research

RSS

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.

Antisense oligonucleotides engineered to inhibit SARS-CoV-2

In a paper recently uploaded to the bioRxiv* preprint server, structure-based ASOs are developed against SARS-CoV-2, intended to bond with RNA in its structured in situ form, rather than the more rarely encountered linear section, achieving greater affinity and specificity than linear ASOs, and demonstrating inhibition of virus replication in human cells.

30 Aug 2021

Innovative therapeutic platform for blood-to-brain delivery of antisense oligonucleotide therapy

Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapy has the potential to ameliorate many neurodegenerative diseases at the genetic level to suppress the production of harmful proteins or non-coding RNAs.

12 Aug 2021

Potential new treatment for mast cell cancers reduces tumor size and prevents organ infiltration

A potential new treatment for mast cell cancers reduces the number of mast cells by "mutating" the messenger RNA (mRNA) before it can deliver instructions for manufacturing the gene responsible for cell proliferation.

10 Aug 2021

Diagnosis of viral infections using micro and nanoscale technologies

In a recent study, the authors provide a review on both micro- and nanoscale technologies that advanced the diagnosis of viral diseases.

3 Aug 2021

Researchers discover titanium oxide nanoparticle that recognizes SARS-CoV-2’s non-structural protein 1

A pioneering study reports on the interaction of a tailored titanium oxide nanoparticle (NP) with the full-length SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 1 (nsp1). This should be of value in developing new therapeutic tools against coronaviruses that act by targeting their proteins. It could also help map the structure of activated proteins.

2 Aug 2021

Polyuridine sequence of mouse coronavirus can be targeted to prevent host cell death

A new study reports the use of a modified deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) oligonucleotide that has a 3’ polyadenine (polyA) tail to bind to the 5’-polyU tract in the mouse coronavirus (MHV-A59). Treatment of mouse cells infected with MHV-A59 with this molecule led to a marked reduction in cell deaths.

2 Aug 2021

Could novel biosensors facilitate SARS-CoV-2 antiviral drug research?

An intriguing new study presents a novel approach to biosensor-based evaluation of promising drugs that could inhibit the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) via its 3C-like protease (3CLpro), a viral protease.

2 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 interacts with unusual RNA structures in human cells

The study, published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, demonstrated that G4 ligands, the chemical that binds with G4s, prevent this interaction. The results could pave the way for developing inhibitors of these interactions as potential antiviral compounds.

26 Jul 2021

Neutralizing aptamers block SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro

A new study describes the clinical utility of aptamers against SARS-CoV-2.

13 Jul 2021

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

Oligonucleotides News and Research

Further Reading

Antisense oligonucleotides engineered to inhibit SARS-CoV-2

Innovative therapeutic platform for blood-to-brain delivery of antisense oligonucleotide therapy

Potential new treatment for mast cell cancers reduces tumor size and prevents organ infiltration

Diagnosis of viral infections using micro and nanoscale technologies

Researchers discover titanium oxide nanoparticle that recognizes SARS-CoV-2’s non-structural protein 1

Polyuridine sequence of mouse coronavirus can be targeted to prevent host cell death

Could novel biosensors facilitate SARS-CoV-2 antiviral drug research?

SARS-CoV-2 interacts with unusual RNA structures in human cells

Neutralizing aptamers block SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro

Uncovering cellular mechanism related to gene silencing therapies

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

SARS-CoV-2 test in 20 minutes with FISH

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

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

Researchers demonstrate a potentially powerful strategy for treating cystic fibrosis

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

Researchers identify a common mechanism underlying diverse brain disorders

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

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

Intranasal COVID-19 therapeutic shows promise in preclinical trials

Biochemistry eBook

E-Cigarettes and Ethanol: A forensic Perspective on Vaping

Understanding Consumer-Consented Data to Optimize Digital Health Programs

The Future is Wearable: Advancing Human Health Through Portable Spectroscopy

Latest Life Science News