Oligonucleotide Therapeutics
The Needs:
The use of synthetic oligonucleotides (ONs- short DNA or RNA strands) in the treatment of genetic diseases is a rapidly growing field, and the most promising alternative to gene therapy or small molecules.
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Most pharmaceutical companies shift from in-house platform development to product-specific licensing and co-development to get ON based therapies past clinical trials.
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There is a growing and currently unmet need for a combined academic and industry-based multidisciplinary research to further advance the field by bringing together the separated and fragmented R&D efforts of diverse ON technologies.
The Solutions:
We will address these needs by:
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uniting world-class academic and private sector expertise in ON chemistry, bio-analysis and medical applications
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developing a next generation ON platform technology based on combining tailored synthetic ONs with smart delivery
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optimising ON therapies through testing in medicinal environment
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We will use these novel ON technologies to develop innovative treatment options for high-impact genetic diseases, i.e. Huntington’s disease, cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
The Implementation:
Our European intersectoral and multidisciplinary research and training network is structured in four work packages and employs 15 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs).
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The project will deliver:
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highly skilled scientific staff required to fully exploit ON therapeutics for personalised medicine
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top-class training in organic and chemoenzymatic synthesis, ON analysis, and biomedical/medicinal testing
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transferable skills courses, specific industry relevant workshops and public engagement activities
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This combination makes OLIGOMED a truly exciting programme for ESRs. The platform will immediately benefit to both European citizens and commercial partners.
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In the long term, OLIGOMED`s flexible platform technology will be taken forward by our private sector and research institutions for exploitation and will thus strengthen the European innovation capacity in the field of ON therapies.