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.

RNA-based method cures lung tumors in mice

By turning down the activity of a specific RNA molecule researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy, Sweden, have cured lung tumors in mice by 40-50 percent.

28 Feb 2018

Scientists decode molecular structure of healthy huntingtin protein

Mutations on a single gene, the huntingtin gene, are the cause of Huntington's disease. They lead to an incorrect form of the correspondent protein.

22 Feb 2018

HKBU experts develop new generation of smart anti-cancer drug molecules

The toxic nature of chemotherapy poses a great challenge to clinical treatment of cancer. A team of scholars from the School of Chinese Medicine of Hong Kong Baptist University devoted their efforts to the development of a new generation of smart anti-cancer drug molecules.

15 Dec 2017

Researchers uncover THOR gene involved in cancer development

It turns out Thor, the Norse god of thunder and the Marvel superhero, has special powers when it comes to cancer too.

15 Dec 2017

Retinal diseases could be treated by ophthalmic drops instead of intraocular injections

The Spanish firm Sylentis has developed a compound to treat diseases of the retina, such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, which will be administered by ophthalmic drops instead of intraocular injections.

12 Dec 2017

Study focuses on improving pharmacokinetic properties of therapeutic aptamers

Designing new therapeutic DNA aptamers with diverse side chains can improve their ability to interact with targets, and a new study describes characteristics of these side chains that may determine how long the aptamers remain in the bloodstream.

30 Nov 2017

Biogen and Ionis awarded 2017 Prix Galien USA Award for SPINRAZA

Biogen and Ionis have been awarded the prestigious 2017 Prix Galien USA Award for Best Biotechnology Product for SPINRAZA (nusinersen). The Prix Galien USA Award recognizes extraordinary achievement in scientific innovation that improves the state of human health. The award was presented at a ceremony in New York City on October 26, 2017.

30 Oct 2017

Awards for contributions to analytical chemistry and applied spectroscopy announced by Pittcon

The Pittcon Program Committee is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of 13 prestigious awards honoring scientists who have made outstanding contributions to analytical chemistry and applied spectroscopy. Each award will be presented in a scheduled symposium during Pittcon 2018, the world’s leading conference and exposition for laboratory science, which will be held February 26-March 1, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida.

From Pittcon 10 Oct 2017

CRISPR-Gold corrects gene mutations in mice with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have engineered a new way to deliver CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology inside cells and have demonstrated in mice that the technology can repair the mutation that causes Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a severe muscle-wasting disease.

4 Oct 2017

DNA sensor systems provide highly sensitive monitoring of cancer-related enzyme activity

The development of DNA sensor systems is of great importance for advances in medical science. Now another piece of the puzzle for the development of personalized medicine has been found with the results of a highly sensitive monitoring of cancer-related topoisomerase II enzymes.

24 Aug 2017

Positive CHMP opinion recognizes efficacy of Biogen’s SPINRAZA for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy

Biogen today announced the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency adopted a positive opinion recommending the granting of a marketing authorization for SPINRAZA to treat patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

21 Apr 2017

Targeted treatment slows progression of two degenerative brain diseases in mice

Scientists report a significant step toward combatting two degenerative brain diseases that chip away at an individual's ability to move, and think.

12 Apr 2017

Using Spherical Nucleic Acids to Track and Treat Disease

Spherical nucleic acids are structures that are made by taking a nanoparticle template and using chemistry to arrange short strands of DNA or RNA on the surface of those particles. The spherical core of the nanoparticle creates a spherical arrangement of DNA or RNA, similar to tiny little balls of nucleic acids.

From Pittcon 1 Mar 2017

MIT researchers develop new machine to rapidly produce customized peptides

Manufacturing small proteins known as peptides is usually very time-consuming, which has slowed development of new peptide drugs for diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and bacterial infections.

27 Feb 2017

Designer compound may be effective tool for tackling tau-related disorders

In a study of mice and monkeys, National Institutes of Health funded researchers showed that they could prevent and reverse some of the brain injury caused by the toxic form of a protein called tau.

8 Feb 2017

Research unravels molecular mechanisms of antisense oligonucleotides

Stanley T. Crooke, MD, PhD, CEO of Ionis Pharmaceuticals and recipient of the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oligonucleotide Therapeutic Society presents a detailed look at the mechanisms that underlie antisense drug activity in the article entitled "Molecular Mechanisms of Antisense Oligonucleotides," published in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers.

2 Feb 2017

Synthetic molecule appears to reverse Alzheimer's-related neurological damage

Under ordinary circumstances, the protein tau contributes to the normal, healthy functioning of brain neurons. In some people, though, it collects into toxic tangles that damage brain cells.

25 Jan 2017

CSHL researcher-inventor hails FDA approval of new SMA drug

Within a week of Christmas day, a drug called nusinersen will be in the hands of doctors across the nation, who will use it, most urgently, to treat young children with a severe and potentially fatal illness called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

26 Dec 2016

Ionis announces FDA approval of first SMA drug in the U.S for pediatric and adult patients

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved SPINRAZATM (nusinersen) under Priority Review for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in pediatric and adult patients.

26 Dec 2016

Turning off 'fat-specific protein 27' improves blood sugar levels, reduces body fat in animal model

In a study published in the Journal of Lipid Research, Saint Louis University scientist Angel Baldan, Ph.D., reports that turning off a protein found in liver and adipose tissue significantly improves blood sugar levels, as well as reduces body fat in an animal model.

16 Dec 2016