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Development and applications of oligonucleotide synthesis services

Oligonucleotides are nucleic acid polymers with short single strands of synthetic DNA or RNA (oligomers) or primers used for the treatment of a wide range of diseases. They consist of 2'-deoxyribonucleotides molecules used specifically for the polymerase chain reaction to amplify DNA. Oligonucleotide synthesis service finds application in the field of forensic science, molecular and synthetic biology and genetic engineering.

Application of oligonucleotide synthesis in therapeutics:

Oligonucleotides as a therapeutic agent has been used extensively in genomics and molecular biology and in recent years has emerged as an advanced gene editing and activation tool in various biotech companies.

Application in genomics:

Oligonucleotide synthesis is used to develop siRNA, miRNA, aptamer, and genome editing. There are many therapeutic oligonucleotides in the pipeline and in the preclinical development stage to treat diseases associated with liver, pancreas, central nervous system, blood vessels etc. 

Another specific application of oligonucleotide synthesis is the use of structured nucleic acid ligands called as aptamers which bind to specific proteins via complementary base pairing by forming 3-D secondary structures. This property is used widely for therapeutics by the biotech companies. 

Application in molecular therapy:

Single-stranded oligonucleotide therapeutics has evolved substantially and has shown potential therapeutic effect for therapy especially with the use of DNA antisense oligonucleotides. Synthetic single-stranded oligonucleotides are modified RNA or DNA molecules that specifically function in sequence-dependent (antisense oligonucleotides and immunostimulatory oligonucleotides) or tertiary structure-dependent manner (aptamers). These synthetic applications are helpful in the treatment of various therapies ranging from neurological, muscular and metabolic dysfunctioning. They are also used to develop an array of vaccines and hence various researches is conducted focussing on the novel applications of oligonucleotide synthesis in therapeutics and clinical development. 

Antisense oligonucleotides-based therapy:

Antisense oligonucleotides are synthetic oligomers that hybridize to a target RNA in a sequence-specific manner. They control upon modulate precursor mRNA splicing and gene expression. Hence, they act in the nucleus by selectively cleaving pre-mRNAs through RNase H dependent mechanisms.  

Therapeutic oligonucleotides synthesis service for drug delivery:

The oligonucleotide therapeutics field has progressed remarkably over the last few years using siRNA or splice switching oligonucleotides in clinical trials. However, the delivery of the oligonucleotides effectively is a critical process which has to be taken care of. The factors that focus on key approaches with respect to chemical modification and bioconjugation to cell targeting as well as the use of nano carriers for formulations, has helped tremendously to improve the drug delivery challenge. One of the recent developments in oligonucleotide synthesis is the cellular functioning by non-coding RNA controlled by oligonucleotides. Oligonucleotide synthesis has shown promising results in in vitro assays.

Application in gene therapy:

Gene therapy is used as a potential tool for the treatment of many diseases and disorders such as cancers, infectious diseases, cardiovascular disorders, dermatological, ophthalmologic, and neurological pathologies. A successful gene therapy process depends heavily upon the choice of the vector used.  Non-viral vectors such as Nano carriers are commonly used in the process of gene therapy since they show better efficacy than viral vectors. The viral vectors are associated with side effects like immunogenicity and show poor target cell specificity which causes them to inefficiently transfer large sized genes. Different types of Nano-carriers show different properties and hence they are widely used in clinical applications. Some of the examples of Nano carriers are liposomes, metallic and polymeric nanoparticles, dendrimers and gelatines.