Antisense technology is a universal approach for the inhibition of gene expression in a sequence-specific manner. Since the discovery that oligodeoxynucleotides can act as antisense agents that inhibit viral replication in cell culture, antisense technology has been used in knockdown experiments, target validation, drug therapy, and other applications. In antisense technology, antisense oligonucleotide represents an excellent tool to inhibit gene expression levels both in vitro and in vivo. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are 15–25 nt DNA sequences designed to bind complementary RNA targets, ultimately facilitating their degradation. The discovery of antisense oligonucleotide introduced a new approach to the development of drug therapeutics, offers the potential to develop highly selective and less toxic drugs.
In the past decade, ASOs have been researched as potential drugs for diseases such as cancers, diabetes, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Duchenne muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, and diseases such as asthma, arthritis, and pouchitis with an inflammatory component. Several antisense drugs have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: fomivirsen as a treatment for cytomegalovirus retinitis, mipomersen for homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, eteplirsen for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, nusinersen for spinal muscular atrophy, and Inotersen for hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR). ASOs technology provided an oligonucleotide-based approach to cure diseases caused by the expression of deleterious genes.
With years of development, Creative Biogene is able to provide clients the comprehensive antisense oligonucleotide service with an advanced platform, quick turnaround, and uncompromising quality results.
