Oligo licence for Transgenomic

Transgenomic has taken out a non-exclusive licence from Geron in which it gains manufacturing rights to phosphoramidate and thio-phosphoramidate oligonucleotides. The licence also covers the oligos themselves, as well as the chemical building blocks required for their synthesis, for use in diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

The agreement represents an extension of Transgenomic's prior licence covering manufacture of these compounds for research applications. In addition to receiving royalties on products for research use as provided in the original agreement, Geron will also receive a royalty on sales of diagnostic and therapeutic products under the expanded agreement.

Phosphoramidate-based oligonucleotides represent a new class of synthetic nucleic acids that have demonstrated a number of potential advantages over earlier-generation oligonucleotide chemistries, including enhanced sequence- specific DNA and RNA binding activity, a high resistance to degradation and improved cellular uptake and biodistribution.

Collin D'Silva, Transgenomic's chief executive, said: "Biopharmaceutical companies such as Geron have a need to adapt cutting-edge developments in nucleic acid chemistry for use in production-scale processes. We can offer added value by applying our expertise to help facilitate this important transition​."