Oligonucleotide Therapeutics for Prevalent Diseases: Scaling Up to Meet Global Demand

As oligonucleotide-based drugs expand beyond rare disease treatments, they’re starting to play a larger role in tackling common and chronic illnesses. From cardiovascular conditions to cancer and inflammatory diseases, these molecules offer targeted, gene-level intervention — but treating widespread populations brings a new challenge: manufacturing at scale.

In this blog, we’ll look at how oligonucleotides are being used to treat prevalent diseases and explore the manufacturing innovations that are making large-scale production viable.

The Expanding Role of Oligonucleotides in Treating Common Conditions

Oligonucleotides — short sequences of DNA or RNA — are designed to bind with specific genetic targets, allowing researchers to silence, modify, or correct gene expression. While they’ve seen success in rare disease treatments, more pharmaceutical companies are now focusing on their potential in more common conditions.

Here are a few areas where oligonucleotide therapeutics are gaining traction:

● Cardiovascular Disease: ASOs targeting PCSK9 or ApoC3 can help reduce harmful cholesterol levels — offering an alternative to traditional statins.
● Liver Disease: GalNAc-conjugated oligonucleotides can deliver precise therapies for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and hepatitis.
● Cancer: siRNA therapies can target tumour-specific genes, while aptamers are being developed to guide chemotherapy directly to cancer cells.
● Inflammatory & Autoimmune Conditions: Research is ongoing into oligonucleotides that regulate immune responses in conditions like IBD or rheumatoid arthritis.

As these therapies move into late-stage trials and commercial use, the pressure is on to shift from small, clinical-scale batches to reliable large-scale manufacturing.

Overcoming Manufacturing Barriers Through Scalable Innovation

Unlike highly personalised therapies, treatments for prevalent diseases require volume, consistency, and cost-efficiency. But traditional oligonucleotide synthesis methods — particularly solid-phase synthesis — often struggle to deliver this at scale.

This is where Exactmer’s innovations make a meaningful impact.

Our Nanostar Sieving™ and liquid-phase synthesis platforms are designed for robust, scalable production of complex molecules, helping pharmaceutical companies move from lab to market more efficiently.

How Exactmer’s Technology Supports Scalable Oligo Manufacturing

● Scalability: Our systems can flex from pilot-scale to commercial-scale production without compromising quality — ideal for high-demand treatments.
● Sustainability: We use green chemistries and reduce solvent consumption, helping partners meet environmental and regulatory expectations.
● Process Efficiency: By optimising material usage and improving process mass intensity (PMI), we make large-scale production more economically and operationally viable.

Whether you’re manufacturing an oligo-based cholesterol drug or a therapy for inflammatory conditions, our platform gives you the flexibility and performance needed to keep pace with demand.

Ready to Scale Up Your Oligonucleotide Therapeutic?

As oligonucleotide drugs move into broader markets, the need for reliable, scalable, and sustainable manufacturing grows. At Exactmer, we’ve built technologies to support this evolution — enabling companies to deliver high-quality therapeutics to more patients, more efficiently. Get in touch with us today to see how Exactmer can support your journey from discovery to commercial delivery.