Exactmer Secures FASST Grant to Revolutionize Oligonucleotide Synthesis
Exactmer is excited to announce that it has been awarded a Flexible, Agile, Scalable and Sustainable medicines manufacturing (FASST) grant from the Innovate UK Transforming Medicine Manufacturing program. The grant, valued at £1,234,617, supports the 24-month BioNanostar project, a collaborative effort between Exactmer, the University of Manchester and Imperial College London. This consortium is uniquely positioned to develop a streamlined bioprocess for oligo assembly that promises increased efficiency, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness.
About BioNanostar:
The Sustainable Bioprocess for Oligonucleotide Manufacture using Nanostar Sieving (BioNanostar) project aims to revolutionize the synthesis of oligonucleotides (oligos), which are crucial in gene therapy, diagnostics, and drug delivery. Current manufacturing methods, such as Solid Phase Synthesis (SPS), face significant challenges, including high Process Mass Intensity (PMI) and cost inefficiencies, limiting large-scale production.
Exactmer’s innovative Nanostar Sieving technology offers a transformative solution to oligo synthesis. By employing a liquid-phase process and membrane filtration, Nanostar Sieving facilitates the precise and scalable iterative addition of nucleotide monomers to a growing Nanostar hub. The BioNanostar grant will combine this technology with enzyme chemistry to create a greener, more sustainable manufacturing process. Advanced modeling techniques will be employed to fully optimize reaction and process parameters.
Project Objectives:
The BioNanostar project aims to enhance process efficiency by combining Nanostar Sieving with enzyme technology for linear oligo assembly in aqueous media, guided by advanced digital modelling techniques. It also seeks to promote sustainability by reducing the use of organic solvents and other chemicals, utilizing natural nucleotides as building blocks.
Jason Micklefield, Professor of Chemical Biology at the University of Manchester said, “current oligonucleotides synthesis is highly step and atom inefficient, relies on large quantities of deleterious reagents and creates a huge amount of harmful waste. We aim to address this by developing more sustainable and cleaner oligonucleotides synthesis using enzymes operating under benign aqueous conditions.”
Additionally, the project focuses on ensuring scalability by developing advanced membranes optimized for aqueous media and designing bio-synthesizers for commercial-scale production.
Impact:
“We are thrilled to partner with the University of Manchester and Imperial College London on this groundbreaking project,” said Piers Gaffney, CSO of Exactmer. “BioNanostar has the potential to significantly advance oligonucleotide synthesis, making it more efficient and environmentally friendly, ultimately benefitting a wide range of therapeutic applications.”
The BioNanostar project aims to create a novel, adaptable method for oligonucleotide biomanufacture, addressing a broad spectrum of diseases and reducing final product costs. The integration of cutting-edge technologies aligns with the competition’s goals, promising significant advancements in the bioprocessing and biomanufacturing of oligos.
