Publication

The chemical evolution of oligonucleotide therapies of clinical utility

Khvorova, Anastasia
Watts, Jonathan K
Embargo Expiration Date
Abstract

After nearly 40 years of development, oligonucleotide therapeutics are nearing meaningful clinical productivity. One of the key advantages of oligonucleotide drugs is that their delivery and potency are derived primarily from the chemical structure of the oligonucleotide whereas their target is defined by the base sequence. Thus, as oligonucleotides with a particular chemical design show appropriate distribution and safety profiles for clinical gene silencing in a particular tissue, this will open the door to the rapid development of additional drugs targeting other disease-associated genes in the same tissue. To achieve clinical productivity, the chemical architecture of the oligonucleotide needs to be optimized with a combination of sugar, backbone, nucleobase, and 3'- and 5'-terminal modifications. A portfolio of chemistries can be used to confer drug-like properties onto the oligonucleotide as a whole, with minor chemical changes often translating into major improvements in clinical efficacy. One outstanding challenge in oligonucleotide chemical development is the optimization of chemical architectures to ensure long-term safety. There are multiple designs that enable effective targeting of the liver, but a second challenge is to develop architectures that enable robust clinical efficacy in additional tissues.

Source

Nat Biotechnol. 2017 Mar;35(3):238-248. doi: 10.1038/nbt.3765. Epub 2017 Feb 27. Link to article on publisher's site

Year of Medical School at Time of Visit
Sponsors
Dates of Travel
DOI
10.1038/nbt.3765
PubMed ID
28244990
Other Identifiers
Notes
Funding and Acknowledgements
Corresponding Author
Related Resources
Related Resources
Repository Citation
Rights
Distribution License