In recent years, techniques have been developed for treating diseases with so-called oligonucleotide drugs, based on short DNA or RNA molecules.
The rapid development of oligonucleotide drugs depends, among other things, on the detailed knowledge we have gained about the human genome and how changes in it can give rise to disease. This knowledge makes it possible to quickly implement the first steps in the development of new oligonucleotide drugs with a computer, says Agneta Holmang, dean of the
In addition to funding from the
We are happy and proud of the opportunity to build this hub, which gives researchers access to cutting-edge technologies and the opportunity for further development of their results. I would also like to emphasize that none of this would have been possible without strong cooperation both within the university and with a number of partners. This is really a project where KAW and many other good forces have collaborated, says
Potential for more effective treatment methods
There are today examples of oligonucleotide drugs, which have been developed in just a few years. This can be compared with traditional drug development, where it takes at least five years before new drugs reach patients. With the platform that is now being built up, Swedish researchers will be able to further develop their academic discoveries towards new drugs. The hope is that this will lead to more effective treatment methods as well as future companies in a rapidly expanding part of the life science area.
Although the first oligonucleotide drugs were developed to treat unusual, genetic diseases, we now also see a rapid development of new therapies for larger disease groups. For example, the EU recently approved the new oligonucleotide drug inklisiran, which is used to lower cholesterol, says
OligoNova Hub will be linked to a larger network for research and development of oligonucleotide drugs, which is being established through a national collaboration with, among others, the
Other information
Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation The foundation
mainly supports basic research in medicine, technology and science. The foundation currently distributes almost
SciLifeLab (
Started in 2010 jointly by the four host universities
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